The Strut of the Serpent
by BarnumOnTheBrain
Summary: Lucius and Narcissa shared a magic that the Dark Lord would never understand, a magic that couldn't be taught at Hogwarts. Nothing could break the love that they shared - not even the end of their Dark Lord. A series of one-shots of Lucius and Narcissa.
1. 1966

**My first Harry Potter fic in a while... Narcissa and Lucius fascinate me, as they (aside from Snape) seem to be the only ones in Voldemort's inner circle capable of real love. This won't be a long fic, but will visit random moments in their relationship, from Hogwarts to the aftermath of the Second Wizarding War. It's written in strict canon, in terms of dates and relationships. I'm trying to keep the characters as canon as possible, too. **

**I'm writing it with a T rating at the moment, but that will no doubt change as the characters grow older to an M.**

**I own none of the characters mentioned, all of them belong to the beautiful J. K. Rowling. All hail her magical wonderfulness.**

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><p>The double doors to the Great Hall swung open with a groan, revealing a magnificent room. Cissy walked up the middle of the house tables under the thousands upon thousands of floating candles that lit the entire hall in awe. Above her, she could see the enchanted ceiling that her sisters had told her about. Stars were beginning to pop out of the inky black sky, and she heard murmurings of wonder from her fellow first-years around her. McGonagall led the trembling students up to the very front of the hall and lined them up hurriedly, facing away from the High Table. Narcissa surveyed the house tables nervously as the black-haired witch placed a tatty hat on a stool in front of them. She spotted the Slytherin table on her far left – clad in green, silver and black, the proud faces of the Serpent house were difficult to miss. Her eyes scanned the length of the table until she found the faces she sought; sat side by side were her sisters, Andromeda and Bellatrix. They wore the signature Black smile – haughty, secretive and proud. Bella winked at Cissy. She drew herself up at once and tossed her hair back as the Sorting Hat burst into song.<p>

She didn't bother to listen, but continued to scan the Slytherin table. Opposite her sisters sat a pale boy with a pointed face, long blonde hair and cold grey eyes. She met Lucius' gaze for a moment and he raised his eyebrow at her. She glared back, earning a smirk from him. Narcissa's father did business with Malfoy's father and consequently the Black girls were well acquainted with him and his family. They had spent much of the summer before last together, and Cissy and Lucius had become as thick as thieves in the warm August days, talking excitedly about Hogwarts and playing tricks on her sisters. However, the summer just gone had been different. They, again, spent much time together, but he had grown haughty and proud. Narcissa was accustomed to the pure-blood pride, but this went beyond that. She grew to dislike him as his arrogance became her constant companion. She ignored his boasting lectures about life at Hogwarts, interrupted his spell recitals and rolled her eyes at his arrogant strut. Her sisters assured her that he was just showing off to impress her and make himself look good, but Cissy tired of him quickly. This resulted in her refusing to talk to him unless absolutely necessary and only tolerated his presence when her parents demanded it.

The Sorting Hat finished off its last line to thunderous applause and Narcissa's eyes drifted back to the stern-looking McGonagall who was unrolling a scroll of parchment.

"When I call your name," she said to the first-years, "you will come forwards and I will place the Sorting Hat on your head. When it calls out a house, you will join that table and thus belong to that house. Abbott, Richard!"

A nervous black-haired boy stumbled forward and perched on the seat. McGonagall placed the hat on his head and there was a brief pause before a rip near the brim opened like a mouth and shouted "Gryffindor!"

Cheers erupted from the table to the right of the Slytherins as Richard Abbott tottered over, a look of relief washing over his round face. Cissy waited as two more students were Sorted ("Anders, Eleanor!" to Ravenclaw and "Banks, Alice!" to Gryffindor), feeling the eyes of her sisters on her at all times.

"Black, Narcissa!"

Cissy heard whispers break out at the call of her name. She wasn't surprised. Her parents were two of the best-known people in the wizarding society and her sisters were already notorious around the school – Bellatrix in particular. She drew herself up proudly and walked fearlessly to the stool, noticing the second raised eyebrow she earned from Lucius. The battered hat was dropped on her head ungraciously and almost obscured her vision.

"Ah, another Black," said a small voice in her ear. "There seems to be an obvious choice here. But there are brains here too, and courage isn't in short supply either. Loyalty seems to be dominant here, despite the familiar pure-blood pride. Hufflepuff would suit you very much, I think; family dominates any lust for power, I see."

Narcissa felt panic course through her at such a thought. "Slytherin!" her mind screamed desperately.

"You really are a Black," the voice in her ear chuckled. "And there is very little I can do about that. Slytherin!"

Narcissa tore the hat off her head and thrust it into McGonagall's waiting hands, not noticing the stern look she was thrown as she stepped proudly down the steps to thunderous applause. She walked down the side of the house table until she reached her beaming sisters. They moved apart, leaving her a gap to sit between them.

"What took the Hat so long?" Bella asked her sister as Dromeda handed Cissy the house tie. "Didn't want to put you in Hufflepuff, did it?"

Cissy smiled flawlessly as Dromeda snorted. "It chose right in the end." She didn't dare tell her sisters that in fact, yes, it _did_.

Lucius eyed her from across the table. "You know, my father always says you can tell all you need to know about a wizard from which house he was in at schoo-"

"Really, Lucius? That's _fascinating_," Narcissa interrupted him. "Now would you mind passing the pumpkin juice?"

Her sisters hid smiles behind their hands as the blonde-haired boy passed her the jug with a scowl. Cissy would certainly fit in well in Slytherin.

The feast lasted what seemed like hours, and once the dessert dishes were sparkling clean again, Cissy leant forwards on the table, feeling very content.

"I'd forgotten how satisfying the Welcoming Feast is," Lucius was saying with his familiar drawl to a dim-looking boy next to him. "I really have missed this place."

"You're a second year," Bella said incredulously. "You've been here all of five minutes!"

"I can still grow attached, can't I?" he said to her, now looking annoyed.

"You ignore her, Lucius," Dromeda said consolingly, this hint of irony barely audible to anyone bar her sisters. "Who is she to tell you how to feel?"

"That's the job of your father, isn't it?" Bella said slyly. Cissy smirked as an ugly flush crept up from under his collar.

"Leave the boy alone," Rodolphus Lestrange interrupted as Lucius made to retort. "So how was your summer, Bella?" he added with a wink.

"Dry up, Lestrange," Bella rolled her eyes. "Unless you want me to hex you into next week."

"You always were good with a wand," he lowered his voice slightly, still smiling. A few people around them sniggered.

"In front of my sisters?" Bella exclaimed. "Nice one. Real classy, Rod."

Lucius smirked at her.

"Wipe that smirk off your face, Malfoy," Dromeda said sharply, but gave him a smile when Bellatrix looked away.

"So Cissy," Lucius began as the tables began filing out of the Hall. "Need help finding the dungeons?"

"I hardly think so," she said airily. "Seeing as everyone from the house is going there now."

His smile never faltered. "I could take you the scenic route if you like."

"Thank you, but I think not." She left him standing with a scowl and followed her sisters out of the Hall.


	2. 1969

**First of all, thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed, subscribed or favourite this story, the response to the first chapter was something I didn't expect! Secondly, I apologise for the delay of this second chapter! I've been away for a week, away from a computer, and seeing the reviews really inspired me to write! This chapter took a lot of work though, and I'm still not entirely happy with it... but I'm moving away from Hogwarts for the next chapter, and wanted at least one more Hogwarts experience. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the first!**

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><p>Narcissa awoke that morning with a chill. Monday mornings were never especially kind to her, but this morning was particularly cruel. Winter was upon them and as she dragged herself up to breakfast, Cissy saw a thin blanket of snow covered the lawns around the castle. She groaned inwardly at the thought of the greenhouses in such weather, dreading her first period Herbology and sat down heavily at the Slytherin table. Without even noticing which box she grabbed, she began eating cereal straight out of the packet and chewed mechanically as her eyes drooped closed again.<p>

"Morning, sleepy," said a voice in her ear.

She jumped. "Merlin's beard, Lucius!" she exclaimed as he sat next to her on the bench, grinning. "You nearly gave me a heart-attack!"

"That was my intention." She gave him a reproachful look. "Anyway, I actually came over here to talk to you."

"Do I have to partake in the conversation in any way?" Narcissa asked lazily, having returned to eating out of the cereal box.

"Not if you don't want to." He watched her chew with a smirk.

"Go ahead."

"Well, perhaps you are aware of my standing with old Slughorn, but as an esteemed member of the Slug Club, I've been invited to one of his little parties on Christmas Eve – fourth years and above. It'll be formal I assume, with dress robes – oh how Mother will enjoy hearing about that – and it'll be expected that we bring female company. I'll be escorting you." He watched her carefully as she finished her mouthful, looking for any kind of reaction.

"Is that so?" she asked, not looking at him. Instead, she studied the back of the box with mild interest.

"Yes, I'm afraid it is."

"Why me?"

"Because I asked Dromeda and she said no."

"Is that a joke?"

"Maybe."

"And what if I don't want to go?"

"Not an option."

She sighed theatrically and turned the cereal box around. "I suppose I have no choice."

"It certainly seems that way."

"And what am I to wear to this event?"

"Anything. You look good in anything." He watched her chew.

"Is that the best line you have?" she snorted, turning to him with a cocked brow.

"Quite possibly. Is it good enough for a daughter of the _Noble _and_ Most Ancient House_ of _Black_?" He flashed his most charming smile.

She rolled her eyes. "We'll see."

"Excellent. I'll leave you to your cereal." He pushed himself off the bench and paused behind her for a moment. Cissy felt something small and soft press on the top of her head. It wasn't until the sound of his footsteps had left the Great Hall did she realise he had kissed her.

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><p>The weeks leading up to Christmas were merry, as always at Hogwarts. There were the usual twelve Christmas trees lining the Great Hall, each with candles, icicles, angels and an array of multi-coloured baubles. The corridors were lined with strings of fir branches whilst each classroom had holly wreaths on them – Flitwick's even shouted festive greetings to anyone who happened to walk by. Mistletoe was hung here and there along the ceilings and it had come into fashion with the sixth year boys to carry a twig of it with them and spring on unsuspecting passers-by, which was very irritating. Narcissa was especially horrified when a sixth year Hufflepuff pounced on her as she was on her way to lunch one Thursday. She was too taken by surprise to curse him, although the passing Lucius showed no hesitation in attacking him. Through the sound of hexes hitting him, she heard the boy's plea for forgiveness. He insisted that he had thought she was Andromeda. Narcissa failed to see that as a valid excuse, and wasn't sorry when she saw him two days later with steam still coming out of his ears. This trend was stopped quickly enough, however, when one boy thoughtlessly ambushed McGonagall. Never had the students seen Peeves so gleeful.<p>

Narcissa had reluctantly written to her mother, telling her of her Christmas plans and why she would not be returning to the estate for Christmas. Naturally, Druella Black was thrilled at the prospect of her youngest daughter courting a son of Malfoy blood and sent over a new set of dress robes. The package came in with the morning post, carried between two large screech owls that landed on the table, ruffling their feathers and sending flecks of snow into the scrambled egg. Bellatrix and Andromeda looked up at their sister curiously from their seats down the table.

"What've you got?" Bella asked, sat almost opposite her.

"Something from Mother?" Dromeda called up the table. Cissy nodded, and her elder sister got up to join the other two. "Well open it then! Mother's taste is always so entertaining; I bet it's garish whatever it is. Oh, I hope it has frills!"

"You're so cruel," Cissy remarked as Bella sniggered and ripped the box open. Inside sat a green item covered in lace.

Dromeda covered her smile as best she could as Bella threw her head back and crowed with laughter. Narcissa stared at it, dumbfound. She didn't even want to touch it.

"What's all this noise, Bella?" said a familiar drawling voice.

"Oh Lucius, don't look at it," Cissy begged as he and his cronies came closer.

"Why, what is it Cissy?" he asked curiously, looking into the box. "A nice new pair of curtains?"

"Or her dress for old Sluggy's do," Dromeda said with a burst of laughter. Lucius gingerly picked the garment out by the tips of his fingers as Cissy buried her face in her hands.

"Your mother always had an unfailing choice in clothes," he said uneasily, turning the dress round. It had a high lace neck and frills leading down to the floor, all in a violent green.

"You're going to look like one of Lestrange's potions!" cackled Bella, prompting Rodolphus to send a silencing charm in her direction. He missed her, causing a second year Gryffindor sat behind them spent the rest of the morning a rather befuddled mute.

"Oh it's awful," Cissy cried. "That witch is nothing more than a nuisance!"

"It's not so bad," Dromeda tried to comfort her sister as Bella laughed. "Oh Bella, do shut up."

"But they're frightfully ghastly!" she cackled. "Oh this is better than the Christmas someone got Father a pair of bloomers, thinking they were pyjamas!"

"What an odd thing to purchase," Lucius remarked, still holding the dress at arms' length. "Isn't there something that can be done about all these... frills?" he added cautiously. Cissy moaned loader at his words, burying her head in her arms.

"I'll see what I can do," Dromeda promised quietly, taking the dress from his hands and stuffing it back in its box. "We'll see you later."

Lucius nodded his head to Dromeda and the still gleeful Bella. "You'll still look beautiful," he said quietly into Cissy's ear. His hot breath tickled her ear and she looked up to see him strut out of the hall, flanked by his two cronies.

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><p>Christmas Eve rolled around quickly enough, bringing with it the usual flurry of snow. Narcissa awoke to an empty dormitory. The girls she shared with had gone home for Christmas, and the room seemed empty. She had never spent the festive season in the castle before, and hadn't quite realised how big it was before. The corridors were usually lined with hundreds of other students, the Great Hall always littered with people, the grounds hosting a scatter of teachers and pupils, but most students and a handful of staff had left four days prior to return home for the holidays, leaving Hogwarts quite and echoing. Cissy sat up in bed and breathed in. Already she could smell Christmas puddings being prepared, mince pies, root vegetables, pumpkin pasties, cakes and biscuit, bread and the comforting smell of a wholesome soup. Despite there only being small numbers of people in the castle during the break, the house elves always made enough food for a hundred people or more, and the smell was, as always, intoxicating. Dragging herself out of bed reluctantly, Cissy slid on her slippers and padded to the bathroom, readying herself for the day.<p>

In little more than half an hour she was plodding up the stairs to the Great Hall in her woolliest pair of tights, an old skirt, a blouse and her warmest cardigan, not caring who saw her. Both her sisters had returned home as their mother had arranged for another one of her awful dinners, in the hope of selling Bellatrix and Andromeda off to a Yaxley or a Bulstrode, something that neither sister was looking forwards to. Cissy's absence was only allowed as Druella Black saw her youngest daughter's Christmas arrangements as along the same lines as her own, and with such a pure young wizard, she and her husband could do nothing but approve.

In the Great Hall, the house tables had been dispersed with, leaving four circular tables in the middle, each holding about ten people. Three of the tables were empty, but the one on the far left seated two twitchy first-years, a few sullen-looking third year boys, one merry Horace Slughorn and Albus Dumbledore himself. Cissy took an empty seat on the table, not looking at either teacher and pulling a jug of pumpkin juice towards her.

"Ah, Mistress Black!" Dumbledore said happily, noticing her arrival. She glanced up at his smiling face, avoiding those piercing blue eyes that could see right through her façade.

"Good morning, professor," she mumbled into her goblet, not wishing for any more attention to be drawn to her. She was suddenly ashamed at how scruffy she looked.

"It's a surprise to see you up so early," Slughorn laughed fondly, "we hardly see you at breakfast these days!"

"The smell of such a wonderful breakfast must have awoken me," she smiled as graciously as she could, secretly wishing that she hadn't bothered getting up at all. "It all looks so wonderful. Those house elves must be working their fingers to the bone!"

"Oh yes," Dumbledore mused. "I'll be paying half of them overtime."

Narcissa looked up, surprised. He looked at her with a twinkle in his eye and she glared down into her empty plate, enraged at the thought of _house elves_ getting paid anything at all, let alone _overtime_.

"Will I be seeing you this evening, Miss Black?" Slughorn enquired, sensing a downturn in the atmosphere. "I do think you'd enjoy one of my parties, that sister of yours Andromeda used to have a wonderful time! I see her less and less now, I think her taste for them has faded somewhat."

"She will be attending," said a cool voice next to her. She looked to her left and saw Lucius drawing up the stool next to her. He never seemed to greet her nowadays; he just seemed to pop out of nowhere. "She'll be coming with me." And he turned to her with a flashing smile.

"Oh how wonderful," replied Slughorn cheerily. "What a fine pair you'll make!"

"Thank you, sir," Cissy bowed her head. "Now if you'll excuse me." She got up to leave, embarrassed and already tired of the prying company. Lucius caught her hand as she turned.

"Not going because of me, are you?" he asked, looking up with his grey eyes warm.

"Of course not, Lucius. I just..." she faltered, trying to think of a valid reason, and finding none, she pulled her hand out of his grasp. "I'll see you later." She smiled at Slughorn and Dumbledore, her chin up, and strutted out of the room, one end of her tatty cardigan trailing on the floor.

By six in the evening, Cissy couldn't put it off anymore. She reluctantly put her books back on the shelves under Madam Pince's hawk-like stare and wandered back to the common room. Lucius was sat in front of the fire, already in dark robes.

"You're ready so soon?" she asked, surprised.

He glanced up from his book. "I don't like to be late, and quite frankly I had nothing else to do."

"Well, I won't be long," she mumbled, making her way to the stairs.

"Don't be. Your company is much too pleasing to be wasted on an empty dormitory." She paused at this remark, and turned round to say something, only to see that he had already returned to his book.

The dress had certainly gone under reconstruction, and it didn't look as bad as Cissy had originally thought. Any extra flair of lace had been removed and the colour had been faded to a more subtle green. The fact still remained that it was an awful dress. Dragging a brush through her long blonde hair, she shuffled down the stairs.

"You don't look half bad, Black," Lucius said appraisingly from the sofa, watching her emerge through the door.

"Are you sure?" she asked nervously, pulling at her sleeve, walking slowly towards him. He stood up and straightened his robes before stepping towards her until they were within a few feet of each other. She paused, not knowing what to do next.

"I'm sure," replied Lucius quietly. He took another small step forward and raised his hand to tuck a small lock of hair behind her ear. "There. Now you're perfect."

Narcissa looked up at him, the light of the fire flickering over his strong jaw, over the curve of his lips, shining off the long blonde hair he kept back in a neat bow. He was a Malfoy through and through.

"Are you making a study of me, Cissy?" he inquired with a raised brow.

"I'm just wondering."

"Wondering what?" His hand was still hovering somewhere near her ear.

"How one person can be so... changing? When we were children, we were such great friends, I adored the days when you would come round and play with me. And then that summer after your first year here, you were so haughty and cruel, I could hardly stand you! Yet, three and a half years on, I can't make you out. One minute you're that proud, swaggering young wizard who'll blast any Mudbloods in your path, and the next you're like this; quiet, kind and really rather pleasant. I hardly know who you are today, who you'll be tomorrow, or what you'll be in years to come, and oh, I don't know - I wish I did."

"Why do you care so much?" he asked curiously, lowering his hand. He let his thumb trace across her shoulder and down her arm, resting a few fingers in-between hers. Her eyes locked with his.

"Because you're my friend."

"Am I?" He began slowly moving his hand, stroking her palm and brushing the tips of her fingers. "Is that all I am to you? A mere friend?"

"Yes, I suppose..."

"Are you sure that's true?"

"Well, you're... my parents would want... I don't..." She trailed off as he stepped very slowly towards her once more, leaving inches between them. He bent his head towards her, pausing just above her lips.

"Friends?" he breathed.

"Yes..."

Cissy found her eyes closing as she realised what he was to her – what she wanted him to be. Her fingers closed over his as she felt his lips, warm and soft, press against hers. A hand wove into her hair gently and she felt his lips part slightly in a quiet moan. Before she could respond, he had pulled away.

"Old Sluggy will be wondering where we were," he said briskly, taking in a deep breath to steady himself.

"Quite..." Cissy replied, unnerved at his abrupt mood change. "We'll be quite missed."

"C'mon," he grinned, taking the hand that was still holding his. "No one can host a party quite like Slughorn!"

"Wait, Lucius," she demanded, tugging at his hand. "What was that?"

"What was what?" he asked, doing his best to look confused.

"You know what."

"An experiment."

"An experiment?" she repeated incredulously. "And the results?"

He half-smiled. "Quite positive."


	3. 1972

**Sorry for the delay! I felt like I spent an age on this chapter, but I wanted to get it right. I'm sure there are other fics out there depicting this moment far better, but this is how I imagined it. Again, thank you all so much for the wonderful responses, they are greatly appreciated! I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

It was the first fine day of the year, and Cissy intended to take full advantage of the fact. Being a sixth year meant that she had piles of homework every weekend, but with such good weather, nothing would stop her from basking in the warm sun – even if it meant whilst writing a rather tedious essay. She stuffed her books into a bag, grabbed a couple of slices of toast from the Great Hall as she passed and stepped out of the magnificent oak doors. The smell of freshly cut grass washed over her in the light breeze as she stepped out of the shadow of the castle into the first ray of sunlight in months and she sighed happily. As she crossed the lawns she saw other students beginning to wander into the grounds, all happy at the prospect of a sunny day, although most of the fifth, sixth and seventh years seemed to be weighed down, like her, with heavy bags. Over in the Quidditch stands, figures were bobbing up and down in order and Cissy could make out the streaks of silver in their robes. Thinking she had nowhere better to go, she wandered slowly over to the stands, admiring the glistening lake as she passed.

Already, there were a few people sat in the stands – mostly, Cissy noticed, girls sat in clusters of twos and threes, giggling whenever a player flew close by. She rolled her eyes and settled down in one of the high Slytherin stands.

"Morning, Severus," she said warmly to a small black-haired boy who was sat in the top corner of the box.

"Good morning, Cissy," he replied shyly.

Just after the beginning of term, Slughorn had taken her aside. _"Just look out for him, wouldn't you, Miss Black?" _he had asked her, pointing him out in the dark common room one evening. _"Having a little trouble fitting in, you see, and I think he could do with a helping hand. You don't mind, do you?"_ Cissy had agreed quite happily – it would feel quite satisfying not to be the youngest in a relationship for once.  
>Over a few months, Cissy had gained some of the boy's trust – his mother had been a Prince, a daughter of most noble blood, but he had later confided bitterly that his father was a Muggle. Cissy had pitied the boy, rather than withdrawing from him, as he was truly exceptional. Despite him only being a first-year, he could brew nearly any potion with little trouble, and knew more Dark magic than most of the seventh-years. She had spent evenings teaching him to duel, refining his brewing technique and even trying Legilimency with him. He struggled with that, and was horrified when Narcissa uncovered his memories of the bullies in Gryffindor – especially when she recognized one of the marauding boys as her own cousin, Sirius.<p>

"How are those boys treating you?" she enquired, looking out over the pitch so as to not make him feeling embarrassed.

"Not too bad," he lied. Cissy frowned, making a mental note to have words with _dear_ little Sirius.

"And your classes?" She picked out Lucius on the pitch, speeding after the Snitch over near the Hufflepuff seats. She smiled as she noticed his ridiculously long hair streaming out behind him.

"Very well, thank you. Potions is hardly challenging though. I can't really see the point of brewing a potion to cure boils – I know no one who suffers from them anyway."

Cissy turned with a half-laugh, only to see him absorbed in his book once more. She turned back to look over the pitch, trying to clear her mind to work. Then, with a sigh, she reached into her heavy bag and pulled out her own Potions book. "Hey Sev, I'm doing some work for Slughorn, you wouldn't want to help me, would you?" she said loud enough for him to hear. She heard a scuffling and saw him quickly scramble onto the bench next to her.

"Sure," he breathed excitedly.

Cissy smirked, knowing it was not her that was being helped. "This work is on Felix Felicis, you know anything about it?"

"That's the lucky potion, isn't it?"

They worked contentedly together, and soon the Quidditch team was winding up their practice. Cissy looked up from her notes and saw the tired players traipse into the changing rooms. Just as Lucius reached the door, he turned and looked up into the stands at her, throwing her a grin and a wave. She knew he'd join her in the stands once he had changed; it's how it had always been. After every practice or game they could be seen sat together on the benches quietly – sometimes talking, sometimes just sitting in silence, drinking in the peaceful beauty of the place. It was a time after the excitement of the game or weariness of the practice to just relax for a moment and do nothing at all. Lucius found great comfort in those moments with her.  
>Since the night of Slughorn's party, their relationship had shifted. Upon advice from his father, Lucius had withdrawn from Narcissa romantically, despite their growing feelings for one another. Disliking the idea from withdrawing completely from her, they continued to spend vast amounts of time together, and over the two years their friendship had grown and grown. Many evenings were spent in each other's company, talking by the common room fire, pouring over thick volumes in the library or taking late-night strolls through the empty hallways. They became like the missing half of the other - they finished each other's sentances in conversation, they mirrored the other's movements flawlessly when practicing dueling and could practically read each other's thoughts. In her sister's absence, Annie had taken it upon herself to watch over Cissy, and saw uneasily as the pair grew more dependant on the other than ever. She disliked the idea of her younger sister with such a cold-hearted scoundrel but couldn't help but notice how different he was with her. Half-bloods and Muggle-borns stood little chance against his arrogance unless Cissy stepped in and asked him not too - it was as if he would do anything to keep her happy, even if it meant easing up on his signature Mudblood baiting. Annie had asked Cissy once or twice if there was anything romantic between the blonde pair, but Cissy had laughed it off, telling her sister what she had told everyone else - that they were just friends. Annie saw throught it though; she saw what they couldn't. Narcissa and Lucius were falling in love.<p>

Cissy and Severus worked for a little while longer until the sounds of heavy steps echoed up the stand's rickety staircase. Lucius stopped in the doorway and leaned against the frame, a smirk on his lips.

"Making notes on my team's practice are we?" he drawled. "Spying for that Gryffindor cousin of yours?" He winked at Severus, who suppressed a laugh.

"Of course, and then I'm going to invite Dumbledore for a cosy drink down the Three Broomsticks to discuss your _poor_ tactics," she replied airily, closing her book. "Here, Sev, you can borrow this if you like." She handed him the copy of _Advanced Potion Making_ they had been working from.

"Really?" he asked, his face lighting up. "Thanks Narcissa!"

Lucius ruffled his hair as he scurried out of the stands with a chuckle. "I'm fond of him," Lucius smiled, settling himself on the bench next to her. "He shows great potential too."

Cissy looked out towards the castle. "He's a wonderful boy. He deserves happiness."

"Doesn't everyone?" he asked, glancing across at her. Her pale face was smooth, her blue eyes still for a moment.

There was a pause. "Yes, I suppose."

"Do you think you sister will be happy marrying Lestrange?" he ventured after a few moments of pleasant small-talk. The news had reached Narcissa a few days ago and it was not welcomed. She hadn't discussed the situation at all with Lucius, although he knew she had written to Andromeda concerning the issue. Since Bellatrix's continued relationship with the Dark Lord had intensified – Bella spent nearly every waking moment with him – Narcissa had become much more dependent on Annie.

"Bella doesn't love him," she sighed, turning to look at him with sad eyes. "And she never will. She's completely and utterly devoted to her _Dark Lord-" _she drawled the name sarcastically "- and no man will ever live up to him. She's said she'd rather die than be parted from him. I mean, she used to enjoy Rodolphus' physical company well enough, but now she says they have not even that, and _that_ is no basis for a happy marriage."

"How is her work with the Dark Lord?" he asked quietly.

"She says he is wonderful, that he _challenges_ her and has let her perform to her _full potential_. I know she's killed Muggles before, and she relishes in informing me of the different kinds of torture he had educated her in. Legilimency is his personal favourite, so naturally, it has become hers." Her brow was furrowed, but her expression stayed blank.

"Are you worried?"

"Yes."

He reached between them and took her hand. "Don't be. He protects his followers to his full ability, and rewards them. She'll be safe with him."

"How can you be so sure?" she asked, her composure beginning to crack. She turned to him with desperate eyes.

He swallowed. "Because the Dark Lord has been in contact with me. He knows of my bloodline and heritage – as anyone decent in our world does – and has requested my services as soon as I leave this place. He has assured me safety, amongst other things."

"Oh Lucius," she sighed. "Can't you decline him?"

"He's not the kind of wizard you can decline, Cissy," he replied delicately. "And besides, I think I like the idea of standing with him. He could take over, you know, be Minister, or more, he has the ability and soon he'll have the numbers. Think about it, if wizards take control of the Muggles in this country, every other country in the world will have to follow or risk being exploited on the Muggles' terms! It could be a global revolution – and we would be at the very spearhead, if we stand with him."

"'_We_'?" she repeated uneasily.

"Well, yes. I would want you to support me in this," he said, looking uncomfortable. "To have your blessing would set my mind at ease. After all, to go into this at the cost of losing you would be, ah, foolish of me. You are, at the end of the day, all but the other half of me."

Cissy looked away, slightly embarrassed. She came from a society that was filled with empty words of lovers and meaningless glances, a place where a whispered word could mean no more than a dead spell, or more than the greatest Patronus (although the latter was rarer than a true Parseltongue), a world where real emotions were hidden beneath floorboards in the bedchambers and only retrieved in the dead of night. She wasn't used to such words being spoken and found the repetitive phrases of arranged courtships much more comfortable. Nevertheless, she was glad that one of them had finally voiced what they knew the other was thinking all along.  
>They sat in silence for a moment. In the distance, an owl soared towards the turrets of the stone castle.<p>

Cissy turned to look at Lucius, shifting herself away so she could cross her legs and face him directly. "I think this is something you need to do," she said carefully. "And I want you to be happy, to do something that makes you feel... valued. But I also want you to be sensible and to not throw your life away with this man whom you don't even know."

He opened his mouth to interrupt her, but she pressed on. "You seem to know what you're doing, however, and I trust you. All I'm saying is _be careful_. I can't bear the idea of losing you at any point in my life." She felt her cheeks flush as she finished.  
>His grey eyes watched her as she fiddled with her sleeve, trying to avoid his intense gaze. He shifted himself closer to her until her bent knees were resting on his strong thigh and he felt the warmth of her body sent a jolt through him. "Cissy," he said slowly, resting his hand on her knee, beginning to stroke her through the thick tights she was so fond of. "What do we do when I leave here?"<p>

Cissy swallowed, knowing this was not a conversation she was ready for. The idea of spending a week apart from him was uncomfortable enough, let alone entire terms. "We write to one another often, maybe you could even come up to Hogsmeade some weekends in the term? We have to keep seeing each other, you're my best friend and I don't want absence to get in the way of that. That is, if your wife doesn't mind."

"My wife?" He looked at her in surprise.

"Well, aren't your parents marrying you off to some girl as soon as you leave, to continue the Malfoy line?" she asked unhappily, snaking her hand towards his and stroking his fingers with the tips of hers. Lucius noticed her watching their entwining hands.

"Not right away," he said quietly, shifting his body so he was facing her completely too, his legs straddling the wooden bench. His other hand reached up and stroked a lock of hair behind her ear and she closed her eyes at his contact.

"I don't want you to leave," she murmured as his fingers brushed her cheek, turning her face to kiss them. He pulled himself closer to her until she was sat in the gap between his legs, their faces inches apart.

"I don't want to leave either," he whispered. "Cissy, I..."

"Don't say it," she breathed, bringing her hands up and linking them around his neck. "I know. I've known for a long time. And I do too."

He leaned in slightly, brushing his lips across her forehead, down across her cheek, hovering above her mouth. He smelt the cool breeze in her hair, felt the warmth of her waist under his careful fingers and tasted the zest of her skin on his lips. Their noses touched as Cissy tilted her head upwards, pressing her tingling lips to his and sliding her hands into his warm, blonde hair. She leaned deeper and deeper into him until he was lying on his back, she resting on him easily, their lips parting slowly. She pulled away for a moment, pausing a breath's distance from him. Their eyes met. He sat slowly upright, holding her back until she was sitting easily on his lap. Never breaking their gaze, Lucius slowly pulled at the bottom of her jumper, easing his hands underneath and stroking the smooth skin of her back. She shivered and closed her eyes at his contact.  
>On the barrier behind them, an owl landed with a letter in its beak. Cissy leant forwards again, kissing his smiling mouth and gently pushing her tongue inside, moaning quietly. The bird hopped towards them, still holding the letter and hooted. Lucius pulled out his wand and flicked it in the owl's direction, trying to send it away, but the owl only watched the feeble sparks looking unimpressed. It hopped to the floor and waddled closer to them, hooting as it came, clearly unaware of the situation that it had interrupted. Lucius pulled away for a moment, reached down for the letter and pulled it out of the owl's mouth carelessly. The owl hooted indignantly at such rude treatment and took off towards the castle. Without looking at the addressee, he dropped the letter to the floor and turned back to Cissy, his eyes warm.<p>

"Wait, that's my mother's writing," Cissy said suddenly, seeing the front of the letter. She pulled herself off the bench and stood against the barrier to read it.

_My daughter Narcissa, _the letter said.

_This letter brings news of your sister Andromeda. She has eloped with a Mudblood man and thus betrayed us all. I know this will distress you as she lulled you into a false sense of security, as she hoodwinked us all into believing that she was a true daughter of the House of Black. We were mistaken. Henceforth, she will no longer be known as part of this family. Your father has written her out of the family wills, any documents she left behind will be destroyed and your aunt Walburga has removed her from the family tree at Grimmauld Place. She is no longer your sister. We will not speak of her, not mention her, and any heirs she produces will go unacknowledged. If you are found to be in contact with her in any way, you will be punished severely. It is to be as if she were never alive, as if she were a dead traitor._

_Regards from your faithful family, __The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black_

She felt her breath quicken and an uncomfortable tingle spread from her fingers to her toes. The letter swam before her eyes and she felt her mind cloud over until the blackness smothered her. She came round moments later, cradled in Lucius' arms and wondered for a moment what had just happen. Then she saw the letter next to his foot, and it crashed over her again. That's when the tears finally came.

The next chapter may take even longer to come, as I'm away for a while now, but I know what I'm going to include in them, so I'll try to have a new one up by Sunday, if not, do not give up hope, this will updated!


	4. 1976

**Again, apologies for the delay in chapter updates, but hopefully the length of them makes up partly for that! A warning now, this is where the chapters get darker for a while and the rating goes up to M. Quick thank you to LivingInInkHeart for always listening to my ideas and other ramblings – you remind me that there is something worth writing for.**

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><p>Being the lady of the manor suited Narcissa very well. Lucius' family home was larger than her own family's estate, and the grounds stretched far and wide over the Wiltshire countryside, with three house elves keeping everything in order. She filled her days with hawking and riding her chestnut mare whilst Lucius spent his hours working his way up the Ministry's ranks and she often enjoyed the time to herself, but in the three years of life post-Hogwarts she had not been allowed to work. Achieving five N.E.W.T.s apparently meant nothing to her father, who believed that women had no place in the world of work and refused to allow her any employment opportunities; instead insisting that she helped her mother in the circles of the social elite. Cissy enjoyed it well enough for a while, but missed her sister's company. Bella was always away with the Dark Lord, terrorising Muggles or plotting more murders, constantly a devoted servant. When she received letters from Bella, Cissy couldn't help but think of <em>the other Black girl<em> whom it was forbidden to mention, but sorely missed. Three years ago the Blacks had received a short letter from _that man_ telling them that _she _had given birth to a young girl, a letter that her mother had furiously set alight to and declared the child as a bastard, never to be mentioned again. Cissy thought about _her _longingly often though, especially on the bleak, misty days that became more and more frequent as the Dark Lord's power grew. The Dementors were breeding.

Married life suited her also very well. Two years after Cissy left school, Lucius approached her father privately and her father, thrilled at the prospect of a happy, pure-blood marriage for his favourite daughter, was more than happy to bless the union. He proposed in the gardens of the manor; bending on one knee, taking one of her hands in his, he had pulled out a small velvet box and opened it, revealing a platinum ring set with tiny diamonds that surrounded a larger sapphire.

"To match your eyes," he had told her with a smile. She had accepted his proposal, thrilled, and run into the house where their parents were taking tea together. They all greeted her with a smile as Lucius joined her quickly and the wedding arrangements began swiftly.

The wedding a grand affair, taking place in the manor gardens with every member of the social elite in attendance, including the Minister for Magic himself, but the real surprise that awaited the newlyweds was after the reception. Abraxas Malfoy ushered them into the library with a solemn face, and awaiting them was a dark-haired, handsome man with a long, white wand.

"Ah, the happy couple," he said, his cold eyes flitting over their entwined hands. Lucius fell to his knees before his Master as Narcissa bent her head in submission to him.

"Rise, Lucius. You make a pretty bride, Narcissa," he said to Lucius, not looking at Cissy.

"My Lord," she whispered.

"Lucius, Narcissa, I have come here not to congratulate, but to discuss," the Dark Lord said coldly.

"Of course, my Lord," Lucius replied nervously, rising and offering him a seat.

Narcissa stood clasping the back of her husband's chair and listened as the Dark Lord talked. He said of his plans to make them a team, similar to Bella and Rodolphus, working together to carry out his orders. Cissy felt a chill as she saw how coldly he talked of torture, of murder, but pushed her distaste away as his eyes flicked towards her warningly. She knew he was a skilled Legilimens – according to Bella, the greatest the world had even seen (but her blinding infatuation with him meant that Cissy took everything she said with a pinch of wormwood) and knew that her thoughts were far from safe in his presence. Lucius watched the dark-haired man in awe as he talked of the 'duties' the couple would carry out and nodded reverently when the Dark Lord told them coldly that any child of theirs was expected to join his service the moment they come of age. Narcissa shuddered involuntarily, but he ignored her indiscretion.

"And Narcissa," he finally looked directly at her just before he turned to leave. "I expect you to attend meetings from now on." There was no room for negotiation – she was trapped.

"Of course, my Lord," she said with as much grace as she could, inclining her head towards him. "I am honoured."

Lucius escorted him off the property to Disapparate and she watched the two men from the window – one man she loved, the other she feared above any other. Dark times lay ahead, but with her future in the cold hands of the Dark Lord, she hoped they would at least be safe.

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><p>It was the warmest day of the year so far, and Narcissa spent the morning riding around the grounds, allowing her mare to canter and jump to her heart's content. An owl arrived mid-morning from Lucius, telling her he would be coming home early from work. She smiled, and tucked the letter in her pocket. The days spent with him since that bitter-sweet morning of her sixth year had been wonderful – he was still the friend she had grown to adore, the lover she had hoped he'd be. She was happier than she could have ever imagined. The time he spent with the Dark Lord did worry her, and he had returned home in the early hours of the mornings ashen-faced and splattered in blood; at those times there was nothing she could do but hold him as he trembled, eyes wide and unblinking. By the morning he would always appear to have recovered, but Narcissa would see the fear in his eyes before he left for the next meeting.<br>After the Dark Lord's visit, she had attended meetings, but was not required to attend the more gruesome missions, something that Bella took great delight in pointing out. The Dark Lord, however, understood that Cissy not yet had the stomach that was required for such events, but warned her that her time would come soon. Lucius had frowned, and spoke up, saying something to spare her from the activities, not wanting her to see all that he had. He was punished for his speaking out of turn. Narcissa was terrified of what the Dark Lord would do, knowing that he was capable of anything; the combination of his powerful magic and lack of remorse was deadly, even to those who followed him most devoutly, but knew being in his service could only be a good thing. The day that the Death Eaters were unleashed completely on those filthy Muggles was never going to be a day too soon.

It was late afternoon before Lucius arrived home – the sun was beginning to set in the red and purple sky as he appeared with a faint _pop _before the grand iron gates. Not missing a beat, he stepped through them as if they were smoke, and made up the driveway, ignoring the magnificent white peacock that strutted past him. The front doors swung open as he approached them and a house elf came skidding into view.

"Master," it squeaked. "May I be taking your coat?"

"You'd better," Lucius replied coldly, flinging it to the quivering creature.

"Would Master care for some refreshments?" it asked, stumbling towards the cloak cupboard.

"No, not yet. Where is the lady of the house?"

"Mistress is in the gardens, drawing the last time Dobby saw her, sir," the creature cowered under his fierce glare.

"We are not to be disturbed, Dobby, and you are to see to it," Lucius ordered, striding briskly towards the back of the house, the creature hurrying to keep up with his long steps. "We will take dinner at seven in the private apartments, a cut of beef will do."

"Of course, Master. Dobby is happy to serve the house of Malfoy," it trembled, bowing away from his cruel master.

Lucius didn't give his house elf another thought as he reached the doors leading into the garden. Sat on a bench near the bed of _Pelargonium _was his wife – his beautiful, intelligent wife. Narcissa had her head bent over a roll of parchment and didn't notice him approaching. Her long blonde hair was hanging over her face and he stopped directly in front of her, smiling.

She saw the brown buckles of his shoes as she glanced up from her drawing through her hair and grinned. Slowly, she sat up straight and pushed her hair away from her face, letting her eyes travel up his tall figure, along his long, robed legs, up his slender torso to his broad shoulders covered in one of his elaborate burgundy jackets. His soft blonde hair rested just below his collarbones and glittered in the evening light, making his pale face look even lighter.

"Husband," she said gracefully, putting her drawing aside and standing up.

"Wife," he replied with a smile, leaning in to kiss her cheek. She closed her eyes briefly as his lips brushed her skin.

"How was your day?" she asked as she took his hand in her own, gently stroking his smooth skin.

"Well enough, until that Weasley tried to charge a member of my staff for some Muggle-related offence," he scoffed. "That man is a complete disgrace; I don't know why the Ministry keeps his department on. A waste of money, if you ask me."

"Things will be better once the Dark Lord is in charge," Narcissa said consolingly, leading him back towards the house along the beds of flowers, "then you can deal with him."

"Indeed," he agreed haughtily, holding his head high at the thought. "The Dark Lord has promised many things to me. To us." He turned with a smile to her. She forced herself to return the smile, trying to push the thought of the price of such rewards from her mind.

They walked across the courtyard and back into the house, hand in hand, and were greeted by another house elf.

"Master, Mistress," it said, cowering away from the pair. "I is knowing not to disturb you, but there is being a letter from the Ministry for Master."

Lucius frowned. "Very well. I'll read t and then join you in our rooms, Cissy." He kissed her lightly on the lips before turning towards the library. Cissy watched him stride away, feeling more at ease than she had for a while – having him near always calmed her, and the Dark Lord had informed them he would not be needed for a week at least.  
>She walked into their rooms, her long dress sweeping the stone floor silently and settled herself in a chair by the window to watch the sun set.<br>Within minutes Lucius had burst into the room, a look of elation on his face. "The Minister sent me a letter, Cissy! I got the promotion!"

Her heart leapt. The promotion to Head of Office meant one thing – security. The Ministry would never suspect him of illicit activities; they were free from investigations, house raids and tagging. They were safe. "Oh Lucius!" she cried happily, flinging herself towards him. He caught her in his arms and swept her round in his arms. "I knew you could do it," she said breathlessly as he set her on her feet again.

"Not without you, Cissy," he beamed, looking her in the eye. "You have been the rock I never knew I needed."

She blushed slightly at his words, still not entirely used to his confessions of emotions. He chuckled at her blush and brought up a cool finger to stroke her warm cheek. She looked into his grey eyes and saw real happiness there, feeling it spread completely into her. She brought up her lips to his, pressing gently. His hand wove into her long hair as the other wrapped around her waist, pulling her towards him and rubbing up her back. Their lips parted in the familiar kiss, their tongues starting their immortal dance, hands roaming what belonged to them. Lucius let out a low moan and Cissy pulled away slightly. His eyes were closed, lips parted slightly as he awaited her return. Taking his hand again, she backed towards their bedchamber. Not stopping walking until the backs of her legs hit the mattress she led him and fell back onto the crisp, clean sheets, pulling him with her. His lips pressed against hers again, hotter than before as hands tugged at the ties of her bodice and she reached briefly into her pocket, flicking it at the door and hardly even hearing the slam of the wood on the doorframe as it locked shut. He dragged his lips from hers and ran along the delicate line of her chin, down her neck and along her collarbone. Wordlessly, his strong hands pushed her dress from her shoulders and she lifted herself slightly as he eased it down her body, leaving her bare. The dress dropped to the floor and was soon forgotten. His lips traced down her body, pausing here and there before she could take it no longer and pulled his head back up to meet hers. Cissy made quick work of his clothes and soon they joined the dress at the foot of the bed as a hand crept between her legs. She felt his fingers tease her and moaned into his mouth, hands knotting in his hair as his pace quickened and the feeling inside her grew.

Not being able to take his teasing any longer, she grabbed his hand away and flipped him on his back, easing herself onto him. He groaned her name loudly as they climbed together, allowing his hands to roam up and down her pale body, rubbing her damp skin and relishing the sound of his name on her lips. The tension in Cissy built and built, until finally she leant forwards and captured his open mouth in a mind-blowing kiss, her world shattering around her. He joined her a split-second after her with a throaty groan, arms encasing her automatically as he spilled out inside her. He rolled onto his side and pulled her close to him, kissing the top of her head as they caught their breath.

"Cissy, you are amazing," he murmured into her hair after long, blissful moments, stroking her bare back.

She whispered something incomprehensible into his neck and he smiled. His wife was never one for many words.

They spent a long time curled up together on the bed, ignoring the call for dinner, not talking, until a nervous knock came at the door. "Master?" a voice squeaked.

Lucius cursed. "What is it?" he called angrily, sitting up and pulling the covers up over them.

"Sorry to be disturbing you, Master, but the Dark Lord is here," the voice replied, sounding terrified. "Dobby has shown him into the drawing room, sir."

Lucius swore loudly. "Fine, Dobby. Tell him I'll be with him in a few moments."

"What can he want with us at this time?" Cissy asked wordily, her buzz effectively killed.

"I don't know, darling, but you'd better make yourself decent too, he may want to see us both," he fretted, pulling on his black robes used for his Death Eater duties.

Ten minutes later, they entered the drawing room arm in arm and bowed their heads to their master. His eyes scanned them coldly and silently led them outside. Once they were outside the perimeter of the estate, he held out his arm to them and they took it without asking where they were going.

The trio appeared in a deserted Muggle suburb lit by orange streetlamps. Out of the shadows came Cissy's sister, Bellatrix, her husband Rodolphus and the young Severus Snape. Bella was smiling coldly.

"Friends," the Dark Lord said, walking to the middle of the road with his arms outstretched. "You may wonder why we are here, in the depths of this Muggle estate." His voice was taunting, as if the idea of Muggle housing was humorous. "I have brought you here, select few, to this place for a number of reasons. The first being Narcissa here."

Cissy looked up from the ground that she had been so determined to look at to avoid any unfortunate eye contact. Lucius shifted, shielding her slightly, his face hard.

"You see," the Dark Lord continued, his dark eyes glistening through the darkness, "Mrs Malfoy is yet to carry out any of my tasks."

Lucius moved again, his face relaxing and shifting away from her this time, seeing where his Lord was going.

The Dark Lord smiled coldly at her. "And that just won't do."

Bellatrix let out a bark of a laugh, looking to her sister. "Oh you'll love this, Cissy," she crowed. The Dark Lord sent her a warning look that hushed her up.

"Secondly, this is the street happens to be the home of the Muggle Minister's family." He indicated to one of the small detached houses on their left. "And we all know how the _Muggles _depend so much on _family."_

Rodolphus and Bella gave short laughs at this. Severus forced himself to smile as the Dark Lord's eyes swept over him. Narcissa felt ice spread through her, realising what she must do. Lucius turned his head slightly towards her, checking her mood. He was calm, collected, the strength that she would need. She swallowed, and stepped forward bravely.

"Your task is simple, Narcissa," the Dark Lord addressed her. "Kill them."

The four Death Eaters and Narcissa drew their wands and pointed them at the own faces. Silver masks formed across their cold features, and she nodded. Holding onto her wand tightly, she walked steadily past her sister, past the newly-of-age Severus and up to the front garden path. On the lawn beside her feet sat fat little Muggle gnomes, and she found herself pitying the Muggles inside, before quickly banishing such a thought. Lucius was a pace behind her.

It was gone 11 o'clock at night and the house was empty of light. Raising her hand to the small knocker on the door, she couldn't help but notice the similarities between this house and her own manor. The door was wooden, the walls stone, and the knocker a miniature version of the one that hung on her own door in Wiltshire. The thought of being compared to a Muggle repulsed her, and she lifted the knocker, banging it thrice.

After a few moments, a light flicked on behind the glass in the door and a figure in a dressing gown made its way closer. Cissy felt her heart beating faster and faster as she pulled out her wand, holding it in front of her. Lucius' hand rested, assuring, on her shoulder. A grumbling could be heard from the Muggle. Bellatrix spat on the ground. Severus was lurking by the front gate. The Dark Lord watched from the spot that he had Apparated to. A key was inserted into the lock. The door swung open.

"Yes, how can-"

"_Avada Kedavra_."

Cissy's cold voice rang out through the house. The body fell to the ground in a flash of green light and the creak of a door came from upstairs.

"Daddy?" said a small voice. "Daddy, who is it?"

Narcissa and Lucius stepped over the man's corpse and scanned the ground floor. The only creature they found was a Golden Retriever in the kitchen. Rodolphus used his strong boots on the gentle beast, a grim look on his face as he pounded down. The noise they made had disturbed those in the upper rooms and as they ascended the stairs they were met by a pale-faced, dumpy woman with brown hair.

"Where's my husband?" she asked shakily, holding one hand behind her back.

"Come on, Cissy. You've made it this far well enough," Lucius whispered in her ear. "Just three more to go, then we can return home."

Narcissa stepped forward, circling the woman until she was trapped between the blonde couple. "He's dead," she said coldly. The woman looked from one to the other, keeping her hand hidden from them both.

"You're lying," she said, her face draining from colour. "I know you are. I didn't hear a gunshot!"

"Dear lady," Lucius drawled, pulled out his wand and pointing it at her. "We have no need for _guns _and other Muggle rubbish! Your husband lies dead in your doorway." He fingered his snake-headed wand lovingly.

"You're lying!" screamed the woman suddenly, flying at Lucius. She pulled out a small knife from behind her back before he had a chance to aim a spell.

"You foul woman!" screeched Narcissa, her guilt melting away, replaced but fury. The knife in the woman's hand flew into the air and was caught by Severus' spell before it harmed anyone. Cissy shot curse after curse at the woman. The woman fell to the ground where she was, writhing and screaming on the floor. Two pairs of eyes peeped out of a crack between the bedroom door and the frame next to them, whimpering.

"Narcissa, finish it!" Lucius shouted over the woman's screams, backing away from her flailing body.

"Confringo!" Narcissa cried. The end of her wand exploded and the woman was set alight. Her screams stopped quickly. Severus, who was watching the scene from the top of the stairs, looked away. Bellatrix smiled darkly.

"Mummy!" screamed a voice from the room next to them. Narcissa flung the door open, knocking young twin girls to the floor. They looked up at the towering figure and cowered. She killed them quickly, cleanly, and swept out of the room. Lucius stood still for a moment, in shock at the ruthlessness of his wife, seeing the dark fury in her eyes, but gathering himself together quickly, he followed her out. Bellatrix skipped out of the house, chanting various obscenities about the family and Severus followed bleakly. Rodolphus kicked the man's body out of the front doorway and slammed the door shut, setting the house alright from three different points. The Muggle authorities would be baffled by the Death Eaters' activities – as always.

"Morsmordre!" Bellatrix shrieked, casting the spell above the burning house, the flames shining off her twisted face.

The Dark Lord was waiting from them. "Narcissa. That was more impressive than I thought it would be," he said appraisingly. She looked at him blankly, a feeling of numbness spreading through her. "You will be more useful than I thought."

Lucius glanced worriedly at his wife, seeing her strength falter as she began to slump on her sister slightly. "My Lord," he said quickly, bowing his head, "might I take my wife home? Not wishing to be disrespectful to you, but she appears to be drained of everything now. She is not used to anything like this."

The Dark Lord smiled darkly. "She has done well. You may take her home, and I will not be needing your services for a number of weeks now."

Lucius nodded, and stepped towards Narcissa. Bellatrix turned her to him, pushing her almost dead-weight into his arms. He felt her slump entirely onto him and gathered her in his arms before Disapparating home.

She came round a few seconds later, blinking her eyes and looking up at his hard face. She drifted in and out of consciousness and as Lucius placed her in-between their bed sheets, he saw al colour had drained from his face.

Her dreams were plagued with the faces of the people she had killed, the eyes of the children, the engulfing pain in their mother's eyes, the shock of the father as she turned her wand on him. The smell of the fire in the house, the breath of wind as the bodies were stripped of life. The eyes. At 3 o'clock in the morning, she woke up. That's when the screaming began.

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><p><strong>I know this is very different to my previous three chapters, and has probably lacked the charm the others have, but I guess that's how it would have been for the Malfoys at this time – less than charming. I hope this hasn't put too many of you off this fic, it will get cheery again at some point! I think, after writing this chapter, I have realised that the times were so much better without Voldy, so maybe they'll only be one more instalment for the moment with him.<strong>

**Again, thank you all for reading, your reviews, subscriptions and favouriting of this fic really are wonderful, and I dedicate each and every chapter to you, the reader.**


	5. 1981

**I didn't really enjoy writing during the Voldy period so I only did two chapters with it. Things lighten up after this – for at least two whole more chapters ;) At least when we next see Voldy he's Baldy Voldy, so we can at least get a chuckle out of that.**

**Again, thanks to everyone who is reading, reviewing, favouriting and subscribing, you guys rock harder than the Weird Sisters. And of course to **_**LivingInInkHeart**_**, who was pleasant enough to join me for a fourth screening of the **_**Deathly Hallows Part II**_** and brave enough to bow to Jason Isaacs' and Helena Bonham Carter's names during the end credits with me.**

The summer was over and as the leaves turned to from a lush green to a crackling brown, Cissy hoped beyond anything that the heat would be too. The Dark Lord and his followers were at the height of their power and Lucius was called out every week, much to the distress of his wife.

Since the night at the Prime Minister's house, Narcissa had not been called out on any more missions as the Dark Lord saw the breakdown that followed the incident as a great weakness and embarrassment. Any plans he had planned for the Malfoy couple were thwarted, and he instead relied heavily on the Lestranges and their accomplices, much to the delight of Bellatrix. The night that the small group had visited the Muggle family had a heavy impact on the fairer of the Black sisters; she tortured herself for days, weeks and months, questioning everything about herself and what she was standing for. She would claw at Lucius as he left for meetings and scream at him, begging him not to go. Lucius, eventually fearing that she would take her own life in grief, spoke privately with the Dark Lord, requesting that he erased her memory of the night. The Dark Lord, though displeased with the arrangement, admitted that the loss of her would be too heavy a blow for his Death Eaters to take – many of them knew her well and he guessed that Bellatrix would not recover fully if her sister were to be parted from her. He also knew she was key in producing Lucius' heir, something not only important for the Malfoy and Black lines, but also for his new generation of followers, for he was certain Lucius would not look to replace her with a new wife should he be newly available. So after weeks of mulling the idea over and speaking with the Snape boy and Bella, the Dark Lord conceded that wiping her memory clean of the night would be the least damaging for his most prized followers.  
>Lucius didn't ask her permission to do it. He knew if he asked she would tell him she needed to remember it, that she would insist it was something she had to know about herself. All he knew was that ever since that night, she was not the Narcissa he fell in love with. She had retreated into a shell and only came out to lash out at him furiously, or cling onto him as he tried to leave. He was wary, seeing her exhibit more and more of her darker sister's mannerisms. The thought of her staying in such a state distressed him, and so one quiet evening he pointed his wand at the back of her head and silently wiped her memory of the event, leaving only their treasured moments of the hours prior to it.<br>She had turned round very suddenly, and looked at him. Lucius looked back warily, afraid of seeing the tortured look in her eyes that had been the bane of his life for so long now. It was gone. She smiled, really _smiled_ at him, and he let out a quiet sigh of relief. She was back; his Narcissa was back and it was like coming home again. That night, they made love for the first time in months.

Despite their relationship getting back on track, Cissy and Lucius faced problems every day. At work, Lucius spent his time passing on information about his fellow Death Eaters from one department to the other and knew that it was only a matter of time until his own file passed right under his nose. The news came through that the Aurors had been given permission – or rather, instruction – by the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to use the Unforgivable Curses on any Death Eater that they may come across. Twice already Lucius had been set upon by Aurors aiming spells at him to kill, but he was with Bella at the time – the three Aurors stood no chance against the Dark Lord's chosen two. This didn't mean that he wasn't afraid though. The second time he escaped Death with only a few inches to spare and if it wasn't for Bella blasting the Auror through a brick wall he knew he wouldn't have survived. Narcissa was waiting for him – as always – in her window seat that overlooked the front drive, and upon seeing his blood-splattered face, dived out through the front door to meet him. Tears were streaming from her eyes as she threw herself into his unsteady arms and gripped him tightly to her. He murmured into her hair that he was alright and unharmed as he stroked her back soothingly, his Death Eater hood falling to the gravel and was left, forgotten, as they made their way slowly into the house together.

There was also something else aside from his wife that kept Lucius going during those dark times. Cissy had sat him in front of the fire one evening and told him that she was carrying his baby and that it would most likely be born in the early weeks of June. He had looked shocked, but slowly he bent down out of the chair onto his knees in front of her and placed his hands on her stomach lovingly and as Cissy looked down at him, she saw a single tear run down his cheek. The couple were overjoyed and made haste to tell their Master. His lip had curled when they told him humbly of their news, but he told them that their child would be welcomed into the ranks with open arms. The words had sounded wrong in his high, cold voice.

The baby had arrived in the summer right on time. In the early hours of the 5th of June, kicking and screaming, came little Draco, the boy that Lucius had dreamt of. Cissy and Lucius instantly adored him. He grew quickly and learnt with glee, always giggling and craving more attention. The Dark Lord had personally requested to meet the new addition into the Malfoy family, and despite the tense moment when it looked like he might puke on the Dark Lord's black robes, Draco did well in his first official meeting. He didn't smile too much, and hid his face in his mother's neck when the Dark Lord stared hard at him, something that their Master saw as a good thing. He saw it as a healthy fear, a fear that should be nurtured most carefully. Narcissa did not.

"Lucius!" Narcissa called through the dining room, knowing her voice would carry through his open office door at the far end, "Draco is asking for you, darling."

The blonde toddler on her knee gurgled again and chewed happily on his little fist. "Dadda!" he shrieked happily, his eyes screwing up with his wide grin. "Dadda!"

"I'm coming," Lucius called back with a laugh. "Let me just send a letter to the Minister then I'll be right with you."

"Okay, but you're best using Mercury, Juno's up in the owlery looking very forlorn after delivering a crate of wine from your parents," she called back. "Apparently she went via Hogwarts as your Mother had yet another letter for Dumbledore."

Lucius appeared in the doorway. "Hogwarts?" he asked incredulously. "But that's up in Scotland! Mother lives in East Anglia!"

"I know," Narcissa replied grimly. "Never had much sense," she added in an undertone.

"Mama!" Draco laughed, turning in her lap to look at her and pointed a slobbery hand in her face. "Mama!" She couldn't help but smile at her toddler. His eyes were fading from a deep blue to the familiar grey of his father's and already Cissy could see their similar face shape, the high cheekbones and soon-to-be pointed nose. She smoothed his baby blonde hair fondly, knowing he was going to be a great wizard someday.

Lucius walked into the room, much to his child's delight, and kissed his wife's forehead tenderly. "Not celebrating Hallowe'en tonight my lovely?" he asked her, stroking his son's hair tenderly. "I seem to remember you donning a fairly fluffy costume last year for me." He winked at her and she blushed.

"Lucius, not in front of the baby," she said indignantly, moving to cover Draco's small ears.

"Oh don't be silly," he laughed. "Draco's going to grow up learning all these things; I won't have him going off to Durmstrang-"

"Hogwarts," she interrupted with a stern look.

"- Hogwarts," he rolled his eyes, "not knowing anything like I did. I don't want him having to find them out for himself. As much fun as it was, it did mean a problematic start."

Cissy gave him a look. "Care to explain?"

"Oh darling, you know my antics at school better than anyone else," he laughed, "you were there!"

She pursed her lips, trying to blank out the thought of his many antics. Although he had told her that the girls he was with were only ever invited into his bed to distract him from her, she had a hard time buying the idea that it was quite_ traumatic_ for him.

"Dadda!" Draco gurgled, reaching his chubby arms up towards his towering father, grinning toothlessly.

Lucius laughed. "You're a demanding little gentleman, aren't you son?" he asked, picking Draco up and swinging him into the air, much to the little boy's delight, who shrieked as he was tossed towards the ceiling.

An hour later, Draco was tucked in his silk sheets in the crib that sat in the corner of a chamber to the side of his parent's room. The cold stone walls were adorned with emerald drapes, soft white chiffons and a fur rug covered the hard flagstones of the floor, giving the dark room a gentler feel. Framed photographs of Lucius and Narcissa stood on a little table amongst photos of the Black and Malfoy families. Lucius stood in the doorway, looking into the now dark room, his silhouette tall and slender against the light from the fire in the chamber behind him and watched his wife. Cissy kissed Draco's tiny forehead and stroked the soft sheets that covered his small body and sighed happily. She turned and glanced briefly at the collection of photos before resting her eyes on her exquisite husband. Quite contented, she walked lazily into his outstretched arms. They stayed in their warm embrace for a long moment, both looking towards their blonde angel – the only thing that kept them going in those dark times; family. Cissy pulled away from him slightly and led him out of the doorway, closing the door softly behind them.

Leading him quietly to the sofa before the fire soothed her – the normality of it helped somewhat to forget the turmoil all around her and reminded her of those blissful, sunny days with him at Hogwarts. Back then, she could scarcely imagine the endless fear she would one day live in. Lucius flopped down onto the seat wearily and pulled her down with him, causing her to cry out in surprise. She laughed softly as his arms wound round her securely and he nuzzled into the side of her neck.

"Oh, what a long day," Lucius sighed and leant his head back on the arm of the sofa. "Some of the departments at work were under the impression that Hallowe'en is a valid excuse to use bats to send memos rather than owls; it was out of control. Ludo Bagman and his posse down in Games and Sports have a lot to answer for, I have to say. Crouch wasn't a happy man."

Cissy frowned. "He's the one who allowed Unforgivables to be used on you." It wasn't a question; it was a statement of her fear.

"He wouldn't have passed that law if he knew what his son was up to these days," Lucius replied grimly. Cissy felt his arms tighten around her slightly.

"Lucius, when will it all be over?" she asked quietly, leaning her head back against his.

"Soon, my love, I promise," he replied, his voice hushed and expression soft. "We will be safe soon."

They rested together like that, lying cheek to cheek, for an hour or more, drifting in and out of sleep as the fire crackled steadily in the corner, exchanging whispers every now and again. Suddenly, Lucius let out a cry of pain, awakening Narcissa instantly. His body jolted as if hit by an electric shock, knocking her to the floor. In the connecting chamber, Draco didn't stir.

"Lucius, what is it?" Cissy's cold voice rang out, fear contorting her expression. Her husband had jumped to his feet and was stood clutching his left fore-arm. "Has he called you?"

He looked up at her with a terrified expression. He led her out of the room and into the corridor, pulling out his wand.

"_Lumos_."

The light from the tip of his wand illuminated their pale faces, their eyes searching the other fearfully. Then, slowly, he reached for his sleeve. The material pushed up easily, revealing the skull and serpent that stained his light skin. They expected it to be black. Instead, it was a glowing red.

"What does it mean, Lucius?" Narcissa whispered, her eyes fearful.

"I don't know."

"Has he called you?"

"I don't know."

"What should we do?"

Lucius looked at her carefully for a moment, calculation in his gaze. "We contact Grimmauld Place."

Narcissa nodded, and they walked swiftly to his office where a grand marble fireplace stood. The logs were still glowing, but no flame was left.

"_Incendio_."

Flames burst from the tip of her wand and soon the fire was roaring once more. She reached up on the mantelpiece and took hold of a small china pot, opening the lid and taking a handful of Floo Powder. Lucius took her hand and together they stepped into the now green flames that took them to 12 Grimmauld Place, London.

A miserable-looking house-elf greeted them as they stumbled out of the fireplace.

"Mistress Malfoy," is rasped, nearly toppling over as it stumbled into a deep bow. "How delightful to see you here once more."

"Yes, Kreacher, it's_ lovely_, but where's my sister?" she replied hastily, looking about the dusty dining room. "She's still staying here, isn't she?"

"Yes, Mistress, Kreacher will go find her." He disappeared with a loud _crack_. Moments later, Bellatrix burst through the gnarled door, her eyes mad.

"Cissy," she said hoarsely, stumbling towards her, her arms outstretched and hair flying about her face. "Cissy, it's happened, he's gone, something's made him disappear!"

"What are you talking about, Bella?" Lucius asked sharply as Bella started at her sister with madness in her eyes.

"He went to the Potters' house," she replied, her voice cracking. "And something happened, he's gone now! Wormtail went to the place and found his wand – his wand, Cissy! His body was there, but it was empty, and nothing was left alive except a baby, a stupid fucking baby!" Hot tears began spilling down her cheeks as she stared intently at her sister. "How can a filthy little _half-blood_ still be alive, but he gone?" Narcissa pulled away slightly at the insanity she could see in the depths of those cold, black eyes.

"So he's dead?" Lucius stuttered, all colour draining from his face.

"No, not dead, you fool!" Bellatrix shrieked, suddenly turning on him. She leapt towards him and grasped his arms in her firm grip, her nails digging into him through his thin robes. "He cannot be dead, for he cannot die!"

"But you said-"

"I said his body was dead, not his soul!" she screeched.

"How is that possible?" Narcissa cried, trying to pull her away from the horror-struck Lucius.

"He'll be back, mark my words Narcissa, he'll be back," she cried with mirth, turning suddenly and wrapping her arms around her sister. "Oh, and you best be ready when he comes again, for he'll be greater than ever before!"

Cissy pushed her away with great effort and pulled out her wand, pointing it at her deranged sister. "You're talking rubbish," she said shakily, stepping towards her husband who was clutching at the grand table for support. "You're wrong, and you will perish for it. If Wormtail says he is gone, then he is _gone_. Don't madden yourself for it!"

"You're wrong, Cissy! I'll stand by him - by our cause - until he is back! I'll rot in Azkaban if I have to."

"You won't. You'll go into hiding if you have to, we'll keep you safe. I won't lose my other sister because of pure-blood beliefs and causes! You're to calm down now, else we'll leave."

"Lucius, you have to believe me," Bella stared at him intently, her whole body now shaking. "He's capable of such magic, you know he is, and he gave us possessions to keep safe – what if we're to use them to bring him back? You must, Lucius, you _must_ stand with me!"

"But he's _gone_, Bella, isn't he?" Lucius croaked helplessly. "It's over."

"Never!" she shrieked, rattling the chair in front of her with her hands. "He'll never be gone, and you know it!"

"Lucius, we have to get back to Draco," Cissy said defiantly, trying to ignore Bella who was now wringing her wrists and pacing up and down the room. "You'll regret this, Bella."

"Cissy, you can't leave, you can't leave me like this. Stand by me, I demand it of you!" She drew her wand and pointed it towards the blonde couple.

Wordlessly, Lucius took Cissy's outstretched hand and they looked at Bellatrix's twisted face. Cissy felt a pang of regret as they turned on the spot and Disapparated. That was the last time they saw Bellatrix for fourteen years.

Back at the manor, the rain was pounding down on the windows and the fire in their room was quickly burning out. The Mark on Lucius' arm was still glowing red, but it was slowly fading. Draco was still sleeping silently in his crib and Narcissa wiped away the tear from his cheek that had fallen from her own as she had leant down to kiss his soft forehead. Draco was safe now. He would never have to go through what his parents went through; he would want and worry for nothing.

"What do we do when they call on us?" Lucius asked, his face still contorted with fear as she closed the door quietly from Draco's room to their own. His pointed features were thrown into a sharp contrast by the light from the weak fire and shadows were appearing under his grey eyes. Cissy knew what he meant. She stood behind the sofa that he was sat on and reached forward a hand to gently stroke his long blonde hair. He meant when the Ministry called on them. Once those who were cursed came out of their states – which they no doubt would be doing any time soon – there could be no denying that the powerful Malfoy couple had been heavily involved in the Dark Lord's movements.

The touch of her fingers on his hair was soft and warm, but her voice rang out cold and clear as she spoke. "The Dark Lord cursed us and we didn't know what we were doing. We deny him, and his cause, completely. We will come away unharmed."

**So yeah. The next chapter will jump forwards like, a gazillion years. Well, more like 11 years, but you get me. Again, thanks for your reviews; they are most kind and uplifting. All that I write, I write for you.**


	6. 1992

**I fear I have neglected this fic as much as the Dursleys neglected Harry, and I start therefore with an apology. Life is hectic, as I've just started college (a different meaning in England than the US – I've just started the equivalent of 6****th**** year Hogwarts at a school that has many Hogwartian aspects actually!) and I've always got a pile of work every evening. Ergo, updates will become fewer and further between, but I'm enjoying this so much I'll continue to write :') Hopefully this chapter is to your likings, as I found it was to mine! I figured nothing much happened to the Malfoys between the last chapter and this, so I didn't bother filling in the boring details. Of course, every aspect of this world still belongs to the most wonderful JK Rowling – I bow to your name.**

Trying to rouse Draco in the mornings had become a rather tiresome task. He simply refused to crawl out from his bed before ten o'clock, much to the delight of Lucius. The absence of his son at breakfast was welcome, as he didn't feel the need to comb his hair or shave his face whilst taking his morning pumpkin juice (Lucius felt compelled to appear flawless in front of his son, to set the pureblood example of perfection). He had long since forgotten about looking haggard in front of his wife and accepted that she had seen him at his worst, so why bother about a little shade of stubble? But this particular Wednesday morning was different; Narcissa would simply not allow her son to sleep in yet again and cut down any potential hours in Diagon Alley.

"Dobby, fetch me a bucket of cold water," she said sharply to the passing house elf laden down with clean linen. "I think it's time to awaken Draco."

The house elf gave her a terrified look and scurried away to the kitchens with the pile of washing, not daring to ask why a bucket of cold water was needed.

Five minutes later, Lucius heard a loud scream and looked up from his morning copy of the _Prophet._ Narcissa strode into the dining room shortly after looking rather smug. "Draco's awake."

"I heard," said Lucius, smirking. "You're a force to be reckoned with, my darling."

"I know."

Draco entered the dining room moments later, dripping wet. "That wasn't funny, Mother," he said angrily as his father snorted.

"Draco, how remarkably like a wet rat you look," Lucius drawled with a grin.

She smiled and pulled out the seat next to her. "Come, have some breakfast."

He scowled at her but sat down and pulled a round of toast towards him.

"Your father has the day off work today so I didn't want you wasting it in that room of yours," she told the blonde boy next to her, "and we need to get your books for Hogwarts sometime this side of Christmas; we're not leaving it until last minute like _my_ mother always did."

"But you were an only child too; why were you always so late at organising it?" Draco asked as he munched through his toast, still looking grumpy.

Lucius glanced at his wife warily. The couple had decided a long time ago to never mention either of her sisters, as they both thought it unlikely that their son would meet them and they didn't want him to know of the more _diseased_ branches of their family tree. He cleared his throat. "Grandmother Black was never the most _efficient_ of witches."

Draco shrugged and carried on chewing moodily. "Father, are you going to buy me anything today?"

Lucius raised his eyebrow and surveyed his son over the top of his paper. "What in particular were you thinking?"

"That Harry Potter has a _racing broom_," he hinted shamelessly. "And I bet if I had one I'd make the school team."

"Is that so? If it'll make you happy, I'll buy you a racing broom," Lucius said calmly. "But only if you drop the moody teenager act. You're twelve years old – we'll only tolerate it when you're thirteen."

Draco smirked. "Thanks, Father." And he left with somewhat of a swagger to get dressed for Diagon Alley, still clutching his buttered toast.

"You spoil him," said Cissy quietly as they heard his bedroom door slam.

Lucius got up and folded his paper under his arm. "I just try to give him the attention I never received. And we only see him in the holidays now – I want to make the most of it." He strode towards the dining room door and turned to smile at her just before he left.

"I'll be ready in ten minutes," she told him as she wiped her hands on her napkin.

"I'll be waiting."

_Fifteen_ minutes later they stood outside the gates to the grounds; Draco was wrapped in his Slytherin cloak against the late summer breeze next to his mother in an emerald green riding habit and skirt and his father dressed in black, the snake head of his wand and cane providing the only glint of colour. Lucius held out his arm to his wife and son and they took it, turning with him on the spot and appearing at the back of the Leaky Cauldron moments later. Draco stumbled forwards and leant against the wall, clutching his stomach.

"I still can't get used to that Apparation business," he said groggily, smoothing his hair back with his free hand.

Narcissa smiled. "You'll have to, Draco; it's a part of being wizard."

"If you say so," he replied dubiously and looked up at his tall father, who had pulled out his wand and count the bricks from the rubbish bin; three up and two across. He tapped the brick thrice and the wall pulled away, revealing the old cobbled street.

It was already bustling with wizard families, goblins, warlocks, hags and all other manner of intelligent magical creatures and all the shops were open for business in the early morning rays. The Malfoys strode proudly down the cobbles towards the magnificent white building that was Gringotts bank. Wizards hurrying down the steps avoided Lucius' gaze but inclined their heads to him, giving the entire family a wide berth. Draco looked smug as the doorman moved hastily to open the door for them, his hat falling askew on his head as he stumbled slightly.

Lucius led them to a goblin who took them down to one of their three vaults miles under the cobbled streets above; Draco, who was rarely allowed with his parents to the vaults, looked around the chamber stuffed with piles of Knuts, Sickles, Galleons and family heirlooms with eyes as wide as saucers. Narcissa smiled to herself, wishing she could be around to see the day he finally inherited both the Malfoy and Black fortunes (she was the last remaining Black heir that wasn't dead, imprisoned or disowned, therefore all of the Black fortune would pass directly to him).

"Don't touch," she told her son sharply as he moved to take hold of a sapphire-encrusted ring that sat atop a dark oak cabinet. He gave her a reproachful look but obliged and instead followed his father's steps like a shadow.

Twenty minutes later they emerged back onto the street with their moneybags bulging. Draco was already eager to rush over to Quality Quidditch Supplies with his father and select a new broom but Lucius had other ideas.

"We need to go to Borgin and Burkes," Lucius muttered quietly to Narcissa as they walked past the noisy Owl Emporium, "he'll take anything off our hands."

She nodded, knowing exactly which items within their household could give them away for the real performers of the Dark Arts they were. "But the cellar under the dining room; isn't that safe if the Ministry raid the manor?"

Lucius kept his eyes on Draco who now had his nose pressed shamelessly against the window of the Quidditch shop, practically drooling over the _Nimbus 2001._ "Perhaps, but I'd feel much more, ah, comfortable if they were off our hands altogether."

"Of course. Will you be taking Draco with you now then?" They paused, her arm linked through his, in front of the window Draco was glued to.

"I think so. He'll find it, perhaps, interesting."

"Oh Father, can I have _that_ broom?" Draco pleaded, spinning around to look at his parents. "Look, it's so sleek!"

"Draco, we're going to Borgin and Burkes," Lucius said quietly but clearly, giving his son a quelling look, "so please don't make a fuss; we don't want anyone to think we're, ah, _up to no good_."

Draco smirked and stepped away from the shop window quickly. Lucius took Cissy's hand and kissed it gently before striding away down the street towards Knockturn Alley, his cloak billowing out behind him.

Narcissa busied herself whilst waiting for them milling around Twilfitt and Tattings, picking up spare ingredients from the Slug and Jiggers Apothecary and as she passed Flourish and Blotts her eyes roamed the poster announcing Gilderoy Lockhart with disdain. She was just passing the entrance to Knockturn Alley when the Harry Potter boy emerged, looking rather dusty, accompanied by the Hogwarts Gamekeeper, Hagrid . She eyed them warily, hoping they hadn't spied her husband and son down there; the last thing she needed was Dumbledore's pet student blabbing about seeing the Malfoys down a less than honest alleyway. The pair hardly noticed as she stalked past them and was nearly knocked flying by Arthur Weasley and his band of flame-haired children. She cursed under her breath as she tried to regain her balance on the cobbles before walking proudly on, glaring at anyone who dared whisper as she passed.

Soon enough, she saw Lucius emerge into Diagon Alley from the darker street looking haughty and proud as he stepped into the sun, his miniature half a step behind him looking just as arrogant. She smiled inwardly, cherishing the thought that she was one of the lucky few who saw them without their serpent masks and stepped forwards graciously to meet them.

"Lucius," she said loftily, taking his outstretched arm and walking close by him with Draco in the lead. "I take it Borgin will take care of affairs?" she added in an undertone.

Lucius kept his head up as if he hadn't heard her and replied emotionlessly. "He will be at the manor in the morning."

Cissy nodded and glanced up at her husband. His strong jaw was set and his eyes surveyed the street coldly, but as he looked at her, it melted away, just for a moment.

"Father!" Draco called from up the street, standing in front of that dreadful Quidditch shop.

"Don't holler up the street, Draco, it's common," Narcissa chided as they joined him.

"What is it, Draco?" Lucius drawled, looking unenthused.

Their son looked excited. "Father, this broom would be perfect for Quidditch!"

An assistant inside the shop spied them through the window and quickly emerged at the door. "Mr Malfoy, Master Malfoy, how wonderful to see you again!"

Narcissa frowned at the blatant dismissal of her presence. She cleared her throat.

"And of course Madam Malfoy!" the assistant added hastily under the chilling stare of Lucius. "Come in, please."

Narcissa agreed to wait in the nearby Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, contenting herself with a cool pumpkin sorbet as the pair went into the shop for what could be hours. As she watched her husband's tall frame enter the shop, she had a vivid flashback of his glorious Quidditch days at Hogwarts. Most of the witches in her year – and a few of the wizards – had gone wild for Lucius at the matches; his agility and hawk-like stare was unparalleled by any Seeker of their time at the castle and he could control his broom in a way that the other players could only dream. Of course, his own father had provided him with the best brooms that Galleons could buy, but talent was not something that could be bought. Cissy could almost hear the roar of the crowds as Lucius would take a lap of honour, the Snitch clasped in his triumphant fist, his teammates following behind him in a whirl of ecstasy. The broom collection in the manor was, however, neglected during the years of the Dark Lord and was left in the cellars to collect dust until well after the birth of Draco. After that, however, Lucius became the playful spirit he once was; at home at least. His rise in the Ministry altered him, aged him, but their life at home was happy. Once Draco was two years old, or so, Lucius proudly bought the screaming toddler a miniature broomstick and took to leading the boy around the courtyard and sprawling lawns of the manor on the little thing. He told Narcissa confidently of what a fine Quidditch player they had produced, and by the time Draco was eight, Lucius had taught him each of the seven positions and several rather risky techniques that Cissy tried to not think about too much.

Of course, anyone working with Lucius Malfoy at the Ministry would never suspect he led such a 'charming life in the country'. Narcissa knew him to be dominating, controlling and cruel whilst he strode the halls of that place and she had to play her part right along with him at times. Even as she sat in sunny Diagon Alley with an innocent pumpkin sorbet her gaze was ice cold and expression haughty. None would see the Malfoys' true alliance; no one at the Ministry would suspect Lucius' loyalty lay not with the institution, the Death Eaters from the old days would have no doubt in their mind of their allegiance to the Dark Lord, not even dear Severus would picture them away from their money and estates. No one could know that the only _true_ allegiance they held was with each other.

_Severus_. Cissy leant back in her chair and let the sun warm her pale skin as she thought of the dark-haired man. He had been such a pleasant young boy once, back in the early days of the Dark Lord when everything was shiny and new; when no one thought of life and death and the idea of supremacy was only a distant dream. As the Dark Lord grew stronger, the days became blacker than night and slowly but surely the stars went out with each blinding flash of emerald. After the fall of their leader, the Death Eaters dispersed. Those who escaped a fate in Azkaban went about rebuilding their lives and distanced themselves completely from one another; those who were left, anyway. Many were already dead.  
>Severus changed after the Dark Lord's fall, he took it harder than most. Cissy couldn't fathom why; he lost nothing and had the protection of that Muggle-loving Dumbledore to save him from the cells. But he was not the youthful, charismatic man he had been before. Narcissa had to admit, it had been extremely hard to reach the more likable side to Severus – that man took a great deal of work – but even with all the effort in the world, that part of him seemed to have died in the house with the Dark Lord on that bleak Hallowe'en night. Now all he exhibited was a cruel sense of humour and reluctance for anything that could be classed as cheerful.<br>Narcissa sighed, and took a spoonful of sorbet.

What seemed like hours later Draco and Lucius emerged from the shop, both looking rather smug.

"Mother!" Draco cried as he strode towards her table, grinning from ear to ear. "Mother, guess what Father's just bought me?"

"I dread to think," she replied airily, gathering her belongings and standing up to join them, the fact that neither Draco nor Lucius was carrying anything hardly bothering her. Lucius preferred to have his purchases delivered to the manor via the Floo Network.

Draco turned to his father, who returned his smirk. "Oh Mother, Father's bought me _seven_ brooms!"

Cissy let out a splutter and looked incredulously towards her husband. "You did _what_?"

"Now now, Draco, let's not give your mother a heart attack," Lucius chided, holding out his arm to her and guiding her into the cobbled street once more. "For whom were the brooms bought?"

"Well, one for me," Draco admitted, walking backwards to face the pair of them, knowing that the risk of walking into anyone was minimal, as most of the wizarding community gave the entire family a wide berth. "The rest are for the team."

"But darling, you're not on the team yet," Cissy reminded her son, still reeling at the purchase.

"_Yet_ being the operative word, Mother," he replied smugly. "With those brooms, and my rare talent, how can they say no?"

Cissy sighed and rolled her eyes as Lucius chuckled. They reached Flourish and Blotts and Draco entered without stopping, presumably to meet some of his friends inside.

"Lucius, how much did they cost?" Cissy asked, turning to face him worriedly. "You didn't dip into our savings for a bit of _wood_, did you?"

Lucius looked at her steadily. "Cissy, don't fret, I didn't go into our emergency fund."

She eyed him warily, before giving in. "I suppose it will make him happy," she sighed with a smile.

"You should have seen his face when I told him my plan," Lucius replied with a short laugh. "Oh how this will amuse Severus. He always relished in my Quidditch indulgences!"

"He'll be pleased if anything - didn't that awful Potter boy thrash Slytherin last year? Severus will be over the moon if Draco beats him!"

Lucius' eyes grew suddenly cold at the sound of the boy's name. "Narcissa, when we were in the vault, you didn't happen to see what I picked up?" he asked her, all humour gone from his voice abruptly.

She nodded, remembering the leather-bound notebook he had pocketed. "The book _he_ gave you?"

He gave a curt nod. "You know I told you the powers it may possess?"

His voice was quieter and quieter to avoid any eavesdroppers nearby, but she read his lips and nodded again. That was not just a book that had been left in the possession of the Malfoys; it had been the diary of the Dark Lord himself when he was once a student at Hogwarts Castle and, according to Bellatrix Lestrange, had the power to open the feared Chamber of Secrets once more. She nodded again, staring her husband square in the eye.

His gaze never faltered. "I'm leaving it in the possession of the _Weasley _girl. It will happen again, Cissy. The power of it will open the Chamber again; the horror of the serpent will either scare the Mudbloods away or force Dumbledore to rid the school of them. Either way, _Weasley_ will be at the very centre of it and he will be disgraced, not to mention the bloodstock around Draco effectively, ah, cleansed. "

"And _he_?" Narcissa asked almost silently, an eyebrow cocked.

"Of the full extent I am not yet sure," he replied stiffly, "but there is no way it can bring _him_ back."

"And Draco?"

"Will be safe."

Narcissa nodded and Lucius swept into the shop. She waited patiently outside, watching the dark forms of her husband and son near the front of the shop. His blonde hair was just as long as it had been back in their youth, much to her amusement and she was thankful that Draco preferred to keep his shorter, although she insisted that the look would be most becoming. She was lost in thought for a moment, wondering what Draco would look like at his father's age when suddenly there was a commotion inside the bookshop. She saw volumes flying everywhere and shouts were drifting into the street saying things that indicated a brawl. Narcissa turned her nose up at such vulgarity in public until she saw a flash of that blonde hair. Moments later, Lucius stalked out of the shop furiously, one of his eyes surrounded by a bright red mark.

"Lucius!" Narcissa hissed angrily as he approached her, fury in his eyes. "Brawling in public? Have you really been reduced to this now?"

"Mother, it wasn't'-" Draco protested.

"Draco, not now," she interrupted, holding up a hand to her now miserable son. "Care to explain yourself?" she added to Lucius.

"You dare take that tone with me?" Lucius snarled at his wife.

"Lucius," she warned him. "Do not speak to me like that."

"Arthur Weasley is a disgrace," he spat as they swept up the street towards, "fraternising with Muggles in broad daylight, and parading them around as some sort of _freak_ show…"

He continued to mutter furiously as they made down the cobbles and paused next to the wall leading to the Leaky Cauldron.

"And the book?" asked Narcissa stiffly, noticing the purple lump that was forming over his eye.

"With the girl," he snarled, "obviously."

Narcissa nodded despite his ice-cold glare, knowing that once they were home he'd take out his anger on the house elf and return to be the devoted and loving husband she knew him to be.

**Again, thank you all for the overwhelming support from all of you; the favourites, the story alerts, the reviews, they are all so appreciated! It's heart-warming to think of all of you Potterheads out there, the thought of you all reading this makes me feel a part of the global Potter community :')**

**P.S. I appreciate that this wasn't exactly a Lucius/Narcissa lovefest, but I guessed a chapter free of that wouldn't go amiss. **


	7. 1994

**Okay, it's for chapters like these that this is rated M. It's not completely lemons, but there is a sprinkling of it in there, so if you don't like that, DON'T READ. Again, thanks for your support guys! This fic was only going to be a few chapters long… but I still have at least two up my sleeve, so watch this space… ;)**

The match had been rather a splendid one, Narcissa had to admit. When Lucius had first suggested going to the final game of the cup, she had been dubious. She didn't like big crowds at the best of times, and the thought of losing Draco sometime during the day haunted her; he wasn't the most careful of boys and it reminded her of the time Bellatrix had led her astray once in their childhood. But Lucius, being a Malfoy, ploughed through with the idea and bestowed a very large, very public, donation to St Mungo's and naturally – as Lucius knew he would – Cornelius Fudge, in return, bestowed two tickets to Lucius to the Minister's box for the 422nd Quidditch World Cup final. Lucius even managed to wangle a third ticket, much to his wife's amazement.

"Father, did you see him?" Draco said excitedly as they strode with the crowds back through the camp, the Irish around them chatting and laughing loudly, bottles of Firewhiskey and Butter Beer already being cracked open as the leprechauns whizzed around their heads, turning the inky sky green.

Lucius was grinning ear to ear. "Krum was most spectacular, yes."

He pulled Narcissa closer to him happily and kissed her neck. She batted him away playfully, laughing. Nothing put Lucius on a high like a good Quidditch game.

"Oh, must you?" Draco moaned, turning to see his parents' embrace. "You're killing my buzz."

"Don't whinge, Draco," Narcissa told him with a smile as they reached their tent. "It's a most unbecoming."

He stuck his tongue out and ducked inside, ignoring the white peacocks that matched the splendid silk hangings of their large tent. Lucius stepped aside, indicating for Cissy to enter first. Just as she reached out a hand to pull aside the drapes, she looked around. All about her, people were celebrating, sparks were exploding into the air and music and singing floated across the exuberant camp. The night was alive.

Narcissa stepped into the tent and glanced around, calling for the house elf. The creature came skidding round the corner from the dining area, nearly catching her toes under the Indian carpet as she hurried to Narcissa.

"Yes Mistress?" she squeaked, her large blue eyes looking fearful.

"Take some rolls and pumpkin juice to Draco before he goes to sleep," she commanded, unhooking her cloak from her neck as Lucius took it off her shoulders, hanging it in the coat closet next to the opening of the tent. "And then you are done for the evening. You may sleep on one of the large sofa cushions tonight, and take a towel from the kitchen if you get cold."

The elf's eyes grew wide and her mouth hung open for a second. "Mistress is very kind!" the elf chirped, daring to smile for a moment before scurrying through the opening at the other end of the tent's corridor (that looked more like a grand entrance hall than anything else) towards the kitchen.

"You're too kind to her," Lucius murmured, standing behind her and resting his chin on her shoulder, his hands creeping around her waist. She smiled and leant her head against his.

"Draco, are you going to bed?" she called out, removing her gloves and flinging them towards a side table, most aware of Lucius' wandering hands as they crept up her sides.

"Not for a while yet, Mother," came the reply, "and Blaize just sent over an owl – he and his family are celebrating tonight, can I go?"

"All the more room for us," Lucius whispered quietly in her ear, nipping at it gently. She let out a small laugh and squirmed in his arms, pulling them tighter around her as his lips traced down to her neck, kissing softly as he went.

"Of course darling, just be careful," she called back, only just managing to keep her voice steady as Lucius' kisses became less delicate, his arms tightening around her. "And send over an owl if you need anything."

"I'll go out the back," Draco drawled and moments later they heard the loud rustlings of the silken fabrics that covered the tent's interior. Narcissa closed her eyes, silently thanking Draco for not walking in on his parents in such an intimate embrace.

"Lucius," she moaned as his hands skilfully slid open the buttons of her jacket, his mouth still at her neck. Her arms reached up behind her and her hands slid into his hair, fingers knotting in the blonde strands as her jacket fell open.

A loud clatter came from the kitchen quickly followed with a small cry from the elf. Lucius, who would have normally stormed into the room and beaten the clumsy creature, ignored it completely and took hold of his wife's hands, pulling them away from his hair and taking them in his own. Narcissa let out a quiet moan and turned her face towards his. His eyes slid open, her face millimetres from his own and her gaze lingering at his mouth. Lucius looked up for a moment, suddenly painfully aware that they were still stood directly in the doorway of the tent and stepped away from her towards their chamber. She stood still in the dim light of the lamps and Lucius couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath. Her deep red jacket hung open revealing nothing but a thin shirt over her slender torso, her hair beginning to fall out of its neat bun on one side. Her eyes were hazy in the faint glow as she looked him in the eye across the hall.

"You're beautiful," he sighed quietly, a slight smile playing on his lips. Narcissa walked slowly towards him, not breaking eye contact and took his strong hands in her own. She held them tight and led him to their chamber. The area was draped in silks and tapestries of all bright colours, the floor covered in rich rugs and furs from the East and their bed raised only a few inches from the ground, covered in cushions. The fabric fell back into place as Lucius stepped through the opening and he dropped his cloak where he stood. Narcissa watched him intently and stepped towards him. She ran her hands across his shoulders, down his strong back and over his waist, pulling him closer to her. Lucius closed his eyes and let out a heavy breath as he felt his wife press herself completely against him. Despite their twenty years together, Lucius adored Narcissa as much, if not more than, that first day in the Quidditch stands. They had their ups and downs, much like anyone else in a marriage, but there was never a day when Lucius had wanted anyone but her; she was the best thing about him.

Cissy turned her face to Lucius and began kissing his shoulders softly, working her way up to his neck and tugged at his jacket, pushing it away. Soon, he stood in her arms, his clothes at his feet and his eyes on her. She pulled away again and titled her head up to him, standing up on her toes so as to reach him. She kissed his lips softly, easing them apart slightly and ran her fingers over his hard torso. Lucius shivered at her cold touch and pushed her clothes away from her body with ease, their kiss never broken. A small moan escaped her mouth as his hands caressed her shoulders, chest and waist and slowly they backed towards the bed. Cissy's ankle hit the back of the bed and she pulled away from his mouth, kissing down his neck, chest and stomach before falling back onto the bed. Her hair sprawled against the cushion her head rested on, her naked body elegant in the dim light. Lucius' eyes grew wide at her invitation so erotically given as her eyes bore into his and he knelt down in the mattress. He crawled towards her and ran a finger down from her chin, down her chest and crept between her legs. Her eyes closed and her breathing became heavier as he teased her. Another hand came up and began rubbing her breast gently. Her head turned towards him and she pressed her open mouth to his, running her tongue against his.

"Stop teasing me," she moaned, pulling his hands away as the knot grew tighter in her stomach. His grey eyes opened and he gazed at her for a moment. He could never quite fathom what he had done to deserve her in his life, but it must have been something good.

He shifted himself towards her and buried himself within her heat as a small cry escaped her lips. He pushed into her again and again, each time bringing a sweeter moan from her and the tension between them steadily grew. Finally, with a final thrust, Narcissa's world shattered around her and she gasped his name as he came a moment later.

The strength from his body went out and he collapsed on her, rolling off onto the cushions and groping for a blanket to cover the pair. There they lay for a long time, murmuring the odd word and playing with their hands. Each time was like the first time with them, but better.

After a while, they heard a hoot from outside their curtains and Lucius reluctantly got up to fetch whatever the owl had. He pulled aside the drapes to a letter on the floor in Draco's writing.

"What does Draco want at this hour?" Lucius asked, slightly groggy at the prospect of demands from their son as he walked back to the bed where she was sat.

"Let me read it," Narcissa said, holding out her hand and letting the blanket drop from her body for a moment. Lucius' eyes roamed her for a moment and she couldn't help but smile and pulled up the blanket again, slightly embarrassed. He handed her the letter and sat back down as her eyes quickly scanned the parchment.

"Well?" he asked lazily, tracing the outside of her thigh with his finger through the thin blanket.

"Draco's written about the others' plans for tonight," she replied with a hint of worry in her voice.

"Oh? Are they more important than what I may have in plan?" he drawled, glancing round at her. He noticed the frown on her face. "Cissy, what is it?"

"Crabbe, Goyle, Zabini, Macnair and others… from the old days. They want to go Muggle-baiting tonight."

Lucius' eyes lit up. "Tonight?"

"Lucius, it's too dangerous," she cautioned. "The Ministry is everywhere, we'll get caught! What of Draco if we get caught? We've spent so long hiding our past from him, from everyone; you want to blow it all on one round of Muggle-baiting?"

"Cissy, it's been so long. We won't get caught and besides, we have our masks still. We'll be at the centre, no one will touch us!" His eyes glinted with excitement. "Draco can wait in the woods, he'll be safe there."

Narcissa considered for a moment, worried of the consequences, but Lucius' excitement was infectious. He looked at her with pleading eyes and she, with the thoughts of the past hour still fresh inside of her, succumbed to his wishes within moments.

They hastily pulled on their black robes and grabbed their masks. Pausing by the back exit of the tent, Narcissa looked towards the sitting area and saw the house elf sleeping silently on one of the cushions, curled up under a tea towel. Her jaw set, and she followed her husband into the night.

They wove quietly in and out of tents, ignoring the green-clad Irish fans that were singing raucously as they staggered through the camp and shied away from the sparks of red that issued into the sky like fireworks from the Bulgarians, hurrying quickly towards the Zabini tent that was almost as grand as the manor. They ducked inside and stepped into the hallway.

Narcissa grabbed Lucius' arm. "You're sure about this?" she asked quietly.

"Of course," he replied confidently and took her hand, striding into the next room. Draco was sat in the far corner with Blaize Zabini, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle as the group from the old days sat leisurely in the middle.

"And here they are, the Golden Duo," drawled Macnair, who was sat next to the exquisite Anita Zabini.

"I hardly think we were called that, Walden," Lucius replied loftily. "We were no Lestranges."

Narcissa glanced warily towards her son, but it didn't appear that he had any recognition of his aunt's name.

"Are you ready for this then?" Macnair asked, twiddling his moustache in his fingers, a twinkle in his eye.

"Of course," Lucius retorted, pulling his wand out from his robes. "And what is the course of action?"

"We go down to the Muggle's house on the edge of the camp and extract the man and his family," Anita said in her cold, high voice, a nasty smile on her face. "We then parade them through the camp, and show the Ministry to whom the real power belongs."

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "And to whom does it belong?"

"Those of most noble blood decent, of course," she replied, sticking her chin out arrogantly.

"Perhaps you'd better leave this to those of who know what we're doing," Lucius drawled nastily. "I don't remember you partaking in much of the Dark Lord's doings."

"Perhaps you should have spent less time worrying about that weak wife of yours and focused more on your surroundings," replied Anita acidly.

Lucius' face darkened completely and he pointed his wand at the woman in front of him furiously.

"Lucius," Narcissa said sharply, laying a hand on his arm. "Let's keep to the task at hand, shall we?"

Anita glanced at Narcissa disapprovingly but nodded and stepped swiftly out of the tent, Macnair and the others hot on her heels.

"I never had much time for that woman," Lucius said darkly as they followed behind the group.

"Ignore her, she's bitter that after seven husbands not even one truly loved her and all she has to show for it is a few Galleons," she replied bitterly. "And if I remember correctly she only went on three raids."

The camp was still very much awake; leprechauns flew in formation, spelling out rude words over the Bulgarian tents and scattering gold over the Irish as merry singing could be heard from all directions. The dark group made their way quickly and quietly towards the Muggle house. They arrived, far from the hullabaloo of the camp, and looked at the stone building. A faint glow could be seen from one of the upper windows and down in what looked like a sitting room sat two people, one man, one woman, and a sheep-dog.

Lucius strutted ahead and stopped in front of the wooden door. He pointed his wand at it and it burst open. Crabbe and Goyle hurried in after him, grunting in appreciation and through the windows the rest of the group could see Lucius standing in the living room, talking at the couple who were now standing together. Their faces weren't visible, but they must have said something obscure as Lucius smirked. He left the room as Crabbe and Goyle set their wands on the couple, levitating them off the ground in their pyjamas. They burst out of the front door, each controlling one Muggle, making them spin as they waddled gleefully back to the group. Macnair hooted his appreciation and Zabini sent up a Babbling Curse so the woman's cries were turned into ridiculous words. Upstairs, the light went out and moments later Lucius emerged holding the ears of two children. They screamed and tried to fight him off; he let them go for a moment, grinning and sent a Confundus charm at the little boy. He stopped in his tracks and looked around, most befuddled, and the small crowed cackled with laughter. Still smirking, Lucius cast a spell on both children and pointed his wand at the sky, sending the two children alongside their parents.

With wands pointing at the family, the group huddled together and began moving to the camp, masks on and with Lucius and Narcissa right in the middle. They were both caught up in the excitement of it all and as more and more people joined their march through the camp, the atmosphere grew. With each new member the spells grew crueller and the Ministry effort to disperse the group grew greater. Those on the outside sent curses into the camp, Stunning officials and spectators alike and engulfing many tents in flame on their rampage.

Cissy looked around the group and laughed along with the rest of them, remembering how empowering it had felt to be part of such an influential group. It wasn't until she looked beyond the family in the sky did reality hit her once more.

She screamed, a blood curling scream as fear exploded within her. There, curling up in the inky black sky was the green, serpentine image that had ruined her life. People all around her in the group stared at her as her face was contorted with terror and they quickly turned to see what she was looking at. It all happened very fast.

"The Dark Mark!" screamed people all about her. "He's back; You-Know-Who's back!"

Lucius grabbed Cissy by the arm, the Muggles all but forgotten, and dragged her towards the woods. They ran as fast as they could, swerving in and out of the crowd until they saw Draco. His face was white and he ran into his mother's outstretched arms. Lucius' face was that of shock and he wrapped his arm around Cissy, not quite sure what to do. The Mark on his arm wasn't burning, wasn't even black, but he knew something was wrong.

Something was very, very wrong.

**I do feel bad for Lucius and Narcissa and I do love them, but as this chapter hopefully illustrated, it's not like they were forced into the Dark Arts and to Voldy. But we love them anyway, because at least they still have noses.**


	8. 1995

**Merlin's beard! I only realised today that it has been 20 days since my last update, and I felt really bad. Mind you, since the date for the Pottermore general release has been postponed, I did consider a boycott on posting, but I figured that would only really hurt me… And also CRINGE at the last chapter. I read it back again and it's probably the worst bit of fanfiction I've written since I was like, 11 *facepalm*.**

**I hope this is worth the wait, but I fear it's not… I'm just raring to get to the next chapter, hence the shortness of this one. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this!**

It was back. The Mark was back.

Lucius had hardly dared to believe it. But it burned and he had no other choice.

It was a fairly unsuspecting evening; the warm June breeze drifted gently across the manor grounds as the sun began to set, turning the sky a stark pink against the blue. Inside the stone walls it was quiet. The only sound that could be heard was from the kitchen, where two house elves murmured to each other whilst going about their evening chores. The owners were taking an early evening together. Narcissa had been sat across from him in the library, draped lazily across the sofa with a letter from their son as Lucius sat in his winged chair by the dying fire, a glass of port in his hand as he watched his wife thoughtfully.

Suddenly, the glass slipped through his loose fingers and smashed on the floor. Droplets of the drink splashed onto the glowing logs, making them hiss and Narcissa looked up in alarm.

Lucius let out a gasp and he unexpectedly clutched his left forearm.

"Lucius?" she asked swiftly. "What is it?"

His eyes were fearful and he stood up, turning to face her completely, the broken glass crunching under his feet as he took one step forward. "It can't be…"

Cissy stood up and strode towards him, reaching for his left hand. She took hold it in her own and brought it up between them, reaching for the sleeve and then pushed it back slowly, her stomach in knots. There, against his soft pale skin, was the inky black mark that only meant one thing. Their eyes were wide and fearful as they looked at one another for a moment.

"Go!" Narcissa said suddenly, panic writhing inside of her. "Go now!"

"Cissy, I-"

"Just go!" she repeated anxiously, letting go of his hand and pushing him towards the door.

He marched with her to the door and turned, pulling her to him in a tight embrace and kissing her lips quickly and passionately. "No matter what happens, I love you," he said defiantly as he pulled away slightly before pulling his arms around her for a moment more. Cissy felt his warm lips press into her hair. Before she had even had a moment to catch her breath he was gone.

His footsteps echoed down the hallway as he coldly ordered one of the house elves to fetch his hooded cloak. Cissy shuddered, remembering the last time he had needed the black Death Eater robes; that night he had returned with magical blood on his hands.

The seconds eventually stretched into minutes and there was nothing Cissy could do but wait. She sat in one of the embroidered chairs resting either side of the great oak doors and gazed blindly at the moving shadows cast by the setting sun. With knuckles pressed to her mouth, he mind began to wonder. What was happening now to Lucius? Images flashed across her mind; Legilimency, the Cruciatus curse, or worse…

The Malfoys hadn't exactly been devout followers during the Dark Lord's absence and had wasted no time in renouncing him, denying any involvement with him and swearing allegiance against him. Lucius wasn't in for a warm welcome.

And what was to happen now that he was back? It seemed unlikely that he'd start up again from where he left off, so how long until the world knew of his return? And how exactly _did_ he return? Narcissa shuddered at the thought of the Dark magic involved for such a task and prayed that Lucius hadn't been witness to it.

And who had returned to the Dark Lord's side again? Snape seemed a safe bet for starters – he was the one most shocked by the fall and logically would be the most eager to join the ranks again. Slowly, her mind turned to her sister. Not _that_ sister, of course, _she_ wasn't a sister at all – _she_ was merely something that had once belonged but turned away from what was right, what was true. At that moment, Cissy thought, Bellatrix would be in her cell in Azkaban feeling the burn of the Mark on her arm and going crazy at the thought of not being able to be at her Master's side; that is, if she hadn't gone mad already.

It had been years since Cissy had seen Bella, and as she sat by the doorway in the cold, draughty manor she remembered her sister's parting words; "_He cannot be dead, for he cannot die… he'll be back, mark my words Narcissa, he'll be back_…"  
>She shuddered as gooosebumps appeared across her skin. "Cobbles!" she called out to the house elf suddenly. "Cobbles, bring me a blanket and have one ready for when the master returns, he will be chilly after his journey."<p>

There was a squeak of reply that echoed through the empty halls and she shivered again. She pulled out her wand a muttered "_Incendio_," pointing at the empty fire grate across the hall and readjusted herself in the chair to await the return of her husband.

What seemed like hours later he stumbled in. Narcissa, who had just been nodding off at last in the same chair, jumped and clutched for her wand in the now dark hallway. The fire had died out and the last few embers were still glowing, sending out small flickers of light.

"_Lumos_," Cissy muttered and the tip of her wand lit up. She raised it up and saw her husband leaning against the door steps from her, struggling to catch his breath. "Oh Lucius," she whimpered, seeing the agnuish on his face. She dropped her wand and closed the space between them, pulling him into her arms and clasping his head to her shoulder.

"Cissy," he breathed, resting much of his weight on her. "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too," she half-laughed nervously, exhaustedly, and stepped back. "I did wonder, perhaps, if I would see you again this evening."

"Cissy, I have to tell you," he whispered anxiously. "I must tell you everything."

She crouched down to pick up her wand and pointed it along the hall. The candles were suddenly lit, throwing a flickering, yellow light across the dark stone features of the house. "He told you to?"

"No," he replied, walking slowly towards their rooms, "but I must tell you anyway. Everything is about to change."

Five minutes later, they were sat in their chamber on the sofa before a roaring fire, a glass of Firewhiskey in Lucius' hand. Narcissa was curled up against his chest, fingering the embroidery on his waistcoat lightly. "So what happened?"

Lucius threw back his drink and shivered. "That's better." He placed the glass on the floor and gently took her hand, resting his other arm across her back. "Where do I begin?"

"The moment you Apparated to him."

Slowly but surely, Lucius told her what he had witnessed; how the Dark Lord really was back and how the presumed dead man Peter Pettigrew had helped him manage it, how he remembered Bella and her husband especially, how he already planned to call upon the Dementors and giants once more… and the Potter boy. The true reason for the Dark Lord's downfall was not the Potter boy, but his mother, his loving, foolish mother that had died for him. Narcissa listened silently as Lucius told all, until finally, he faltered.

"And Potter… he got away."

Cissy sat up and looked at Lucius. "Got away?" she repeated. "How?"

"The Portkey, it took him back to Hogwarts. The Dark Lord was furious; I thought we were all going to die. But by that time Muggles from the village had heard the boy's screams, and a few called out to us from the edge of the graveyard. Of course, we disposed of them, and it helped the Dark Lord's anger to take it out on them, but the chaos that ensued proved problematic for us. After that, we left."

"And the man on the inside, at Hogwarts? Was it Severus?"

Lucius shook his head. "I doubt it. Dumbledore keeps too close an eye on him, as did Moody this year, from what Draco said in his letters at least… I don't know who it was Cissy."

They gazed into the flames in silence for a while and Cissy sank back onto him again.

"What should we do about Draco?" she asked quietly.

He sighed. "We leave him as he is. He can't know too much, that'll look perhaps, ah, suspicious, and Potter will have told Dumbledore by now so things at Hogwarts will be tighter once more and we don't want to blacken our name – others will be far too keen to do that themselves , they need no assistance from us."

She yawned "How long will it be before the Ministry takes up arms?"

"Knowing Fudge, not long. He's writing letters to Dumbledore every other minute, although I can't think why, that man's the worst thing to happen to Hogwarts let alone the Ministry, so anything he says Fudge'll believe I expect."

"Sounds like the Dark Lord's return was far from the one he wanted," Cissy muttered.

Lucius gave a short laugh. "Indeed it was, my dear."

"I'm just glad you're safe again Lucius, I was so worried," she said quietly, her emotions threatening to make the better of her.

"Cissy, I'm okay," he replied soothingly and kissed the top of her head.

She sniffed. "I had all these thoughts running through my mind, all these images…"

"Don't torture yourself," he whispered, stroking her hair. "I'm safe. I'm here Cissy. I'm here."

**Thanks again for all your kind reviews, favouriting/subscribing, it's lovely to know that you fans are all out there supporting fan writers like me! Twenty House Points to you all, on me ;)**

**Also, happy Halloween to you all! I went to a Halloween party over the weekend dressed as Voldemort .I painted myself white and I even had a green plushie snake draped across my shoulders. Like a boss. Any other Potterheads out there go Potter-style? So much respect to you if you did – enjoy the partying/trick-or-treating!**


	9. 1996

**Again, apologies for the gap between chapter updates! And I'm not entirely sure if this is exactly canon, but I really hope it is (in terms of exam timing in relation to the dates ect)! Despite the sadness (hopefuly conveyed) in this chapter, I hope you all enjoy it!**

Draco sat down on the bench next to his mother and looked around. The stone chamber was dimly lit by torches in brackets like the ones at home, sending a flickering light over the grim faces of the witches and wizards that sat on the benches rising around the edge of the room. There was a chair in the middle of the room that stood empty, dripping chains. No doubt that was the throne for his father. Draco saw his mother's shoulders suddenly tighten as the wooden door at the opposite side of the chamber banged open and in walked three wizards; two guards dressed in black gripping a third man between them. The man's long hair was dirty and unwashed, his grim robes thin and unclean. His face was turned to the floor as the other men pushed him into the chair and the chains suddenly wrapped round his arms, middle and chest. Draco heard the man groan slightly as the chains clanked over him.

Narcissa stared hard down onto the man, silently willing him to turn up his face towards them. Once the guards had stepped away from him, he did. She let out a painful sigh at the sight of her husband. His face was unclean and drawn, the dark circles visible from the stands illustrating his lack of sleep and she had to fight back a cry as he looked around the room towards the judges and jury out the trial, terrified.

"Lucius Abraxas Malfoy," called out the clear, cold voice of Amelia Bones, ringing in the silent, stone chamber. "You have been brought here in front of the Council of Magical Law to answer charges relating to the activities of the Death Eaters and stand accused of the following: unlawfully breaking and entering the Ministry of Magic with aim to damage and steal; unlawfully entering the Department of Mysteries; attempting to steal the First Prophecy of Sybill Trelawney; conspiring with well-known Death Eaters and finally you stand accused of being a Death Eater. How do you plead?"

Lucius looked up at her fearfully from his seat to which he was bound with chains, his blonde hair dirty and untamed. "Guilty," he stammered.

There was a murmuring all around the stands and Draco looked to his right, surveying his mother. Her long hair was tightly drawn back into a small bun at the back of her head and her expression was cold as she looked down upon her husband – to all of the world she looked disapproving, distant and detached from him, but Draco glanced to her lap and saw her hands twisting and knotting into her handkerchief. Staring directly opposite the room, he moved his hand over hers and held them still. Her head twitched to the side and her shoulders slightly relaxed as she felt her son next to her.

"And do you wish to add anything to your testament?" Bones asked coldly.

"I do not."  
>Narcissa closed her eyes as people around her murmured disapprovingly.<p>

"Very well. She turned to the jury sat on the right-hand side of the room. "All those in favour of the conviction of Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, raise their hand."

Draco watched in despair as every wizard and witch in the jury raised the hands, each looking in disgust at Lucius.

"And all those against?"

Narcissa opened her eyes and stared at members of the jury hard. No hand went up.

"The jury has it. Lucius Malfoy, you are sentenced to Azkaban for life-time imprisonment in solitary confinement." Amelia Bones addressed him directly as all colour flooded from him face and he looked to cry out in protest.

"No, please, have mercy…" he croaked, looking towards his family at last. "Please, my son, my wife-"

"You should have thought about that before you joined the Dark Side," spat a member of the jury, and a few people around him muttered in agreement.

"Amos," Narcissa heard Bones warn the man. "You are on the jury to remain neutral – don't taint your name now."

Lucius was staring up at his wife and son though, and hardly heard the comment. "Cissy, Draco," they saw him whisper before the two guards stood either side of him and the chains on the chair retracted, leaving red marks across his skin. They grasped his arms and lead him roughly out the door and back to Azkaban.

"Mother, what's going to happen now?" Draco asked, look at her.

She turned to him with glistening eyes. "I don't know," she uttered.

"Everything will be okay though, won't it?" he said worriedly, ignoring the stares of passers-by.

She looked at him and he saw the fear in her eyes. He let go of her hand and pulled her into a fierce hug, letting her go quickly. "Everything _will_ be okay, Mother, I promise," he said firmly.

"Oh Draco," she sighed, looking away from him. "It won't be."

Draco stared at her as she got up, her face hard once more, and stepped down the stands, across the room and out of the door. He followed swiftly.

Once in the grand Atrium of the Ministry they were preyed upon by reports and photographers.

"Mrs Malfoy, what are your thoughts on your husband's imprisonment?"

"What does this mean for you and your son?"

"Does your son plan on returning to Hogwarts now his father is a convicted Death Eater?"

"The _Quibbler_ claimed in an article with Harry Potter that your husband was present that the re-birth of You-Know-Who – is this true?"

"Did you know anything of your husband's illicit activities, Mrs Malfoy?"

Narcissa strode through the crowd of reporters to a nearby grate, ignoring the lot of them, and flung Floo Powder into the roaring fire. She held out her hand to Draco and stepped in, calling out "Malfoy Manor."

After moments of spinning they arrived back home, and stepped, slightly dazed, out of the fireplace and into Lucius' office. "Damn," she muttered, looking round the empty room.

"What is it?" Draco asked, straightening out his robes.

"I forgot that this was the grate we'd come back to," she said coldly, taking off her gloves and striding towards the desk. The familiar wood felt strange and alien beneath her fingers as she drifted them across the top. Papers were still scattered across it from the day that he was arrested – he'd left out his work on the assumption that he would be home for dinner. But they arrested him on the spot and put him on trial the next day. That was only three days ago. Her hand rested on a letter that he had written as her breath became shallower and hot tears splashed down onto the parchment.

"Mother, I don't have to return to school right away," Draco said quietly, standing the other side of the desk. "Not if you don't want me to."

"Don't be silly, dear, you're to return for your final exams," she replied as steadily as she could, hastily wiping away her tears.

"Mother, I've finished them. My last one was History of Magic, and that was on Tuesday. There's not much point in me returning for a week more, only to come home again."

Narcissa looked up at her son – her vulnerable, hurt son – and she saw Lucius in his eyes. He had his father's eyes. Tears spilled down her cheek and he stepped swiftly towards her, pulling her into a tight hug as she sobbed into his shoulder.

The weeks passed, and slowly but surely, the Dark Lord took more interest in Draco now that Lucius was imprisoned, as did Bellatrix. She insisted on visiting the Manor whenever possible and taught Draco the Dark Arts, much as the Dark Lord had taught her. Narcissa refused to be involved, consenting to only teach him defence. She found it hard to keep herself busy, but if she didn't, she knew it would be harder. If she had nothing but the thought of Lucius to linger on, she would surely go insane. The absence of her husband was crushing and her only consolation was Draco – dearest Draco, who became her sole companion in the dark summer months. The Dark Lord visited occasionally, and his presence was even more terrifying than before. The first time, he was little more than human – he looked like a human, talked like a human, and even occasionally acted like one. Even if he never loved anyone, he grew attached to certain things, in a certain way. For example, he often treated Bella with fondness (although more often than not it was mere brutal desire) and looked upon his followers with rare mercy. But now, that was gone. His inhuman red eyes held the blood of the hundreds he murdered and looked upon everything and everyone coldly and harshly, his voice chilling the Malfoy family straight to the bone.  
>That was a consolation for Narcissa also – if Lucius was in Azkaban, he was not subjected to the Dark Lord and his punishments. Yet.<p>

* * *

><p><em>3<em>_rd__ July, 1996_

_My dearest Lucius,_

_It has been not even one month yet and I fear I am losing my mind without you. He is intrusive and cruel towards our family and I fear the reception you will receive from Him should you ever leave Azkaban.  
>People look upon us now with disgust and contempt – Mudbloods, Squibs and the like spit as we pass, and I do not blame you, I just wish you were here with us.<br>Fear is engulfing our world, and I wonder if that is because of the new freedoms of the Dementors – but this worries me little, as so long as it is not you they guard I can rest more easily. My sister is teaching Draco how to conjure a Patronus, amongst other things, but I fear should I need to use mine, it will fail me. Any happy memory, any happiness worth remembering, is with you, my love. The days we spent together as children, the day you told me you loved me, our wedding, Draco's birth, his first words, his first broomstick ride, the first time he boarded the Hogwarts Express… every good memory I possess is only good because of you.  
>I mean not to distress you, but I miss you, and I don't know when I will next get to see you. The Governor of Azkaban has informed me that, as you are in solitary confinement, visits will be few and far between, but I managed to persuade him to allow letters to be exchanged between us, and for them to be unread by anyone. I'm not entirely sure that will be the case, so I urge you to be careful with what you write.<br>I love you, my darling, and will try to arrange a visit soon with Draco. In your absence he really is turning into a young man. You would be very proud of him._

_Your faithful and loving wife,  
>Narcissa<em>

Lucius read the letter quickly, his eyes darting across the parchment, slightly squinting as he tried to see with the little light provided by a quickly burning out candle. He reached the end of the letter, tears streaming down his grimy face, and pressed the parchment to his nose, inhaling the scent of his home, his wife and son. The cold cell rang with his agonising howl, hardly heard over the beating rain and violent storm that raged beyond the walls of the prison.

**Again, thank you for all the lovely reviews/favourites/subscribing, you guys are totally awesome :')**


	10. 1997

**So it's been a while… over a month, and I'm sorry it's been so especially delayed! I wrote and re-wrote this chapter to many times, as it was supposed to be the peak of the story, and I had it in my head so good, but what I came up with never quite hit what I wanted it to *insert tragic violin music here*. So anyway, this is what I came up with; hopefully it works for you guys? It's a much darker chapter than any before and I'm not quite sure it flows right… but after spending about 15 hours on writing, rewriting and editing, I ain't doin' no more!  
>Poor Cissy. Still so much love for Lucissa.<strong>

Narcissa paced back and forth, her stomach in knots and hands shaking. They had been gone for two hours now, and there was little time left before the Ministry was bound to call – with her sister an escapee of Azkaban assisting the breakout of her husband, Cissy would be the first person they questioned. The heels of her worn-down boots echoed in the stone hallway of the manor as the eyes of the pale-faced portraits followed her steps. Draco emerged from a doorway to watch her walk, his face pale and drawn. She jumped at his quiet appearance.

"They've been hours," she said frantically, wringing her hands. "How long do they need?"

Draco stared blankly at the flagstone floor, the weeks-old bruise over his eye slowing fading and his lips whispered words his mother could not hear. Everywhere was quiet.

Narcissa, finally tiring of the cold entrance hall, strode towards the great oak doors and flung them open, deeply inhaling the unnaturally cold air. She strutted down the front steps and began pacing up the drive to the gates and back to the door, the gravel crunching underneath her feet as the white peacocks Lucius was so fond of fluttered past. The sound of her steps echoed across the grounds, muffled slightly by the high hedges and looming trees that lined sprawling lawns. The birds in the trees were silent.

Suddenly, without any warning, the air was wrenched by loud cracks all about her and one, short scream. Narcissa whirled around, her robes flying about her, and saw in front of her the crowd of Death Eaters she was now familiar with. Her sister, her magnificent, insane sister, was stood proudly next to the tall, white figure of the Dark Lord whose red eyes pierced through her own pale blue ones. At his feet, in a crumpled heap on the driveway, lay her beloved husband.

"Lucius," she whimpered, dropping her wand at her side and running forwards to him – it had been seven longs months since she had last laid eyes on him. The Death Eaters looked on grimly as she flung herself onto her knees next to him and reached out to cradle his face. She saw his sallow skin stretched tightly over his skull, his grey eyes sunken and hazy and she let out a small cry. "What have they done to you, Lucius?" she whispered, their eyes finally meeting after months apart.

"My dear Narcissa," said a high, cold voice above her. "He has received only the treatment he deserves."

Narcissa looked up, finally registering who it was. "My Lord," she said, looking up at him unashamed of her display. Next to him, Bellatrix looked disgusted.

"Get up from there," the dark sister spat. "You forget your place, Narcissa, you shame yourself!"

"Now now, Bella," the Dark Lord said silkily, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed Narcissa. "She is only attending to her husband. There will be time for formal greetings later." He indicated with a flick of his hand for his followers to enter the manor, waiting until they had walked in to speak once again to her. "Narcissa, where is Draco?" he asked, fingering his wand, his voice cold.

"Inside, my Lord," she replied fearfully, looking up from where she had been examining Lucius' face. "Will you be needing him?"

The Dark Lord smiled dangerously and looked up towards the house. "All in good time."

As he stepped towards the front door, his foot caught under Lucius and kicked him over. Lucius let a quiet cry of pain as the muddied hem of the Lord's robes trailed across his face.

Narcissa waited for the oak doors to swing shut before she turned back to him again. "Oh Lucius, what happened?" she whimpered. His hair, once sleek and soft, hung limp and listless and she could see, even underneath the filthy clothes he had been forced to wear, that he had lost a lot of weight.

His eyes, now in focus, roamed her frantic expression and he reached a thin hand to stroke a strand of hair behind her ear. "Cissy," he whispered as she sat him up and held him in her arms, "Cissy, it's been so long…"

Her head began swimming at the sound of his voice – a sound that had not met her ears in seven long months. Visits had been allowed less and less towards the end of the year. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him tight to her, pressing her cheek against his and letting the tears cascade down her face.

"Cissy, I'm so sorry," he whispered, his voice cracking as his shoulders shook. "I missed you so much. The guards – they did things to us, to the Death Eaters, things I can't even… and him, he's furious with me… I'm so scared, Cissy." All pride was gone from him, all dignity lost in the months in that cell, washed away with the grime and dirt of Azkaban.

They held each other for a few more blissful moments, not caring that they were resting on muddy gravel, not noticing the hazy rain that began to encase the grounds and remained unaware of the watching Bellatrix in the front room, looking at them through the window. Their embrace was only broken by a high-pitched scream that tore them apart.

"Draco," Cissy whispered, terrified. She scrambled to her feet, nearly slipping on the stones and ran back up the drive. She grabbed her wand hastily as she passed where she had dropped it only moments ago and burst into the house. Lucius pushed himself to his feet as quickly as he could, and with the little strength he could muster, stumbled inside after her.

"Draco!" Narcissa called out frantically, bursting into the front room from where the scream seemed to have come. The sight she was greeted with chilled her to the bone. The furniture was shoved carelessly aside and the Death Eaters were arranged in a loose circle around the dark room. In the middle stood the Dark Lord, Draco kneeling at his feet.

"Ah, Narcissa, you've decided to join us," the Dark Lord said pleasantly, his eyes flashing dangerously. "And Lucius too, how delightful."

Narcissa turned to her husband and held him tightly around the waist, keeping him upright. He had little power left.

"Draco and I were just getting reacquainted, weren't we?" the Dark Lord continued and began pacing back and forth in front of him. Some of the Death Eaters laughed shortly. "Why don't you and Lucius join him?"

Cissy guided Lucius into the centre of the circle and stood next to where Draco was kneeling. She saw a single tear fall down his face, and placed a hand on his soft blonde hair. He leant slightly into the comfort of his mother's protection.

"Now let us all be reminded of the feats that this family have conquered in the past year or so," the Dark Lord suggested, looking around the faces of his followers. Those without masks nodded grimly. Bellatrix looked upon the three with mingled fury and disdain next to her beloved master.

"Please, my Lord," Lucius begged. "Have mercy on us…"

"Silence!" the Dark Lord shrieked suddenly, drawing his wand and pointing it at Lucius, who was forced into his knees with a groan. Cissy closed her eyes and rested her other hand on his shoulder. She alone stood between the two kneeling men, knowing there was little she could do to protect them. A sense of foreboding settled across the group.

"That's better," he continued, the white skin of his hand almost matching the bone of his wand. "Now, last year, I asked a simple task of young Draco here," he indicated to the young man before him, "who failed me. My faithful servant Severus had to carry out the deed that was meant for Draco. This displeased your Lord, Draco."

Draco didn't dare look up as the sound of the Dark Lord's spell echoed. "_Crucio_!"

His yells rang out in the cold room as his body was flung once, twice, thrice into the air and he writhed and screamed in pain. Narcissa and Lucius winced as each scream pierced them like a blade, until the thud of their son's fall to the floor ended their torture. The shock of it nearly knocked Cissy off her feet and she felt her heartbeat race. She twitched, as if to stand in front of her son, but Lucius' hand shot out and grabbed her boot. She remained still.

The Dark Lord looked upon Draco's still body mercilessly. "Yes, Draco, your Lord was greatly displeased."

Draco stirred slightly and pushed himself up on his elbows. "My Lord," he whispered fearfully, not meeting the Dark Lord's eyes, "I never meant to displease you…"

"It matters not," he replied coldly. "You proved yourself of very little value to me, much like your mother years ago. It was not you, nor your mother, however, who disappointed me most." His voice resorted to the dangerous silkiness that was the most terrifying of all and his blood-red stare bore into Lucius.

"Are you going to kill me?" Lucius asked with a whimper, finally daring to look his master in the eye.

"Kill you?" he repeated with a high laugh. "Why, of course not, my slippery friend, for that would be far too easy. Lord Voldemort is not that merciful."

He raised his wand much more, and Lucius prepared himself for the unbearable agony he would have to bear, but it didn't come. Instead, a feeling of weightlessness and relaxation overcame him, and he was only vaguely aware of anyone about him.

_Turn to your wife, and put the Cruciatus curse on her. _The voice inside his head was cold, clear and familiar. He knew it to be that of his Lord's, and it seemed perfectly logical to obey. From the pocket of his grimy robes he pulled out his wand with the serpent head and turned to Narcissa, pointing it at her. "_Crucio_," he said simply, and dimly noticed her knees buckle as she cried out.

_Stand up and do the spell again – but this time, mean it!_ Lucius thought the voice was being very reasonable, and obliged. He stood up, albeit shakily, and pointed his wand at the kneeling blonde woman. "_CRUCIO!"_ he shouted, and her whole body was thrown into the air, her screams breaking through the mist that clouded his mind.

_This is wrong, _said his own voice in the back of his head. _That's your wife. That's Narcissa. Stop it, you're hurting her._

Lucius found his hand raised and ready to perform once again, and couldn't stop himself from yelling the spell a third time. Her screeches broke the last of the power that the Dark Lord's spell had over him and he cried out, all haze gone, replaced by terror.

"Narcissa!" He dropped to his knees and reached out to take her hand, doubled over as guilt overpowered him.

"You will watch this!" the Dark Lord screamed, his eyes ablaze as Lucius flung himself at her side. "_CRUCIO! CRUCIO! CRUCIO!"_

Again, Narcissa's body was thrown into the air and writhed and squirmed and was slammed back down onto the hard wooden floor each time. The Death Eaters in the circle looked uncomfortable as Narcissa's agony pierced them like blades.

"My Lord, please!" Bellatrix said suddenly, turning to her master. She feared for her sister as the blonde Black was smashed back onto the floor again.

He turned to her furiously and sent her back with a Stunning Spell, hardly bothering to waste words on her. She flew backwards and hit stone fireplace, crumpling to the floor in a dark heap in the ashes of the fire that had long burnt out.

The other Death Eaters began to back away from their master as his fury rolled off him. The two Black sisters, at opposite ends of the room, both lay unconscious from their Lord's toxic fury, the Lord who knelt down to face the Malfoy family.

"Look at yourselves," he spat, poison in his voice. "You're nothing but scum." His red eyes flashed and he got up to face his other followers. "Let us leave Lucius and his disgraced family to reflect on what they have done. They are not to be treated as equals, but as the traitors that they are."

The Death Eaters around them nodded stiffly, not looking at the Malfoys but inclining their heads towards their Master.

The Dark Lord put his face very close to Lucius' and grabbed it, forcing Lucius to look at him. "You're worthless to me now, Lucius," he said very quietly. "You're very lucky I didn't kill you tonight, and if you hadn't owned such an accommodating manor I would have already. The Dark Lord forgives those who deserve to be forgiven; sadly for you and your family, you lost that luxury the day you lost me that prophecy." He stared at Lucius for a moment more and then hit his face away before straightening up.  
>"You're a disgrace, Lucius." Draco looked up, terrified, for a moment and saw the Dark Lord as he spat on his father's robes.<p>

The air was filled with cracks as the assembled Disapparated on the spot, and soon the Malfoys were left alone in the house, Bellatrix still Stunned in the corner.

Draco and Lucius remained trembling beside Narcissa for a long time as she drifted in and out of consciousness, each holding her hand. Not a word was said to the other, despite all the questions that remained unanswered, but there would be a time and a place, and this was not it. Draco had missed his father, they had been on good terms before Lucius' arrest, and he had always looked up to him. Lucius had always been in high places when Draco had been growing up, and always had time for his son – and the money. As a child, Draco had never gone without and it was his father who had helped to teach him how to walk, how to fly and how to brew his first potions. Despite what everyone thought, Lucius loved his son unconditionally, and it was the fear of Draco's prospects after his arrest that kept Lucius concerned the most. He could cope with his fall from favour with the Dark Lord – for that may be temporary anyway – so long as Draco remained well and with good prospects.

"Father," Draco said very quietly after a while. "Father, I'm sorry."

Lucius looked up at him with the same grey eyes that looked back at him, and felt a lump in his throat. "No son, it is I who should be apologising. I let you down." His voice was hollow and ragged as he looked at Draco – his wonderful, perfect Draco.

"You didn't let me down," Draco replied, staring his father in the eye. "You could never let me down."

Lucius opened his mouth to reply, but by the fireplace, Bellatrix was stirring. The pair watched fearfully as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. In amongst the ashes, she found her crooked wand and stood up, not bothering to brush down her dark Death Eater robes. The grey soot stuck to her as she looked around.

"You!" she spat as her gaze landed on the huddled family. "You cost me my position by the Dark Lord's side!" She stormed over to them, brandishing her wand and casting them aside. Narcissa lay motionless still, her eyes shut and arm resting at an awkward angle. Bellatrix crouched down and pointed her wand to her temple. "_Rennervate," _she muttered, and Cissy's eyes fluttered open.

"Bella," she whispered, looking up at her sister fearfully. "Bella, I'm so sorry, I never meant to…"

"Hush, sister, it is not you that I blame," Bellatrix replied not unkindly, and glared towards Lucius and Draco who were now standing warily near the door. "It is that disgraced husband of yours, and your son who failed to perform the greatest task ever to be assigned to any of us. That boy could have gone down in history, but instead he dishonoured us all."

Narcissa pulled herself up and faced her sister. "Draco is a good man," she began, her voice shaking and eyes flashing. "He doesn't need to kill anyone to prove himself to us, and his soul remains umblenished."

Bellatrix drew herself up and stood over her younger sister furiously. "Fuck his soul, Narcissa, look what's happened!" she exclaimed. "All three of you have been punished and are lucky to live to tell the tale, you stupid wench! You've lost all honour amongst our ranks, with mine swift to follow, thanks to you and your blessed family!" Red sparks flew out of the tip of her wand.

"The fault lies not with them, Bellatrix," Narcissa replied angrily as her strength began returning to her body. The moments with the Dark Lord just passed were a blur to her, already she could only remember the pain, the blinding, flaming pain and Lucius… Lucius standing over her and causing it…

"You're a fool!" Bellatrix shrieked, "and you shall die for it, mark my words! You care too much for your husband and son to see what matters to us – what was always supposed to matter, Cissy!"

"And what was that, Bella?" Narcissa retorted angrily as her sister began pacing furiously.

"Power!" she screeched, suddenly pouncing towards her and grabbing the sides of her arms. "It was always about power!"

Narcissa's arms began throbbing as her sister's hold on them tighten, and she could see up close the deranged look in Bellatrix's eyes; the wild madness that had always existed, only ignited in Azkaban and moulded by the Dark Lord. Narcissa began struggling against her grasp furiously as Bella hissed in her face.

"_S-s-stupefy_!" shouted a shaky voice from the doorway, and Bellatrix was blown a few feet away from her sister. Draco stood stock-still as if Stunned himself at what he had just attempted to do; he had just attempted to attack not only his aunt, but also the most powerful and skilled Death Eater of them all. Bellatrix's eyes widened, and slowly, her face broke into a smile – a gloriously terrifying smile.

"Draco!" she exclaimed, still smiling as she began to take small steps towards him. He began backing away. "Draco, Draco, Draco. I _am_ impressed you know, trying to take on _me. _But didn't mummy ever teach you the rules? Never challenge a witch or wizard more powerful than yourself, else you don't stand a chance!"

Suddenly her wand was like a whip and she launched into a full attack, spells leaving the tip continuously and Draco hardly had time to conjure a shield. Her laugh became wild at his desperate struggle and Narcissa darted as quickly as she could to where her wand had been dropped as the Dark Lord attacked her. Draco cried out as a spell hit him and he fell to his knees to the sound of Bellatrix's delirious cackle and her footsteps became more erratic – Narcissa grabbed her wand as Bellatrix raised her own for one final spell and it would all be over and-

"_PROTEGO_!" roared a voice near Draco, producing a spell so powerful that it knocked Bellatrix off her feet and her wand was knocked out of her hand. Narcissa looked wildly around for the spell that saved her son and saw, shaking and trembling, Lucius, his wand still raised and robes rippling from the aftershocks.

Draco watched his aunt scramble to her feet and look around wildly for her wand, muttering furiously.

"Lucius," Narcissa breathed as she saw all power and energy drain from his face. He dropped to his knees as Bella scrambled up.

"You've made a mess of your life, Cissy, and you'll die for it!" Bellatrix spat as she passed her sister, her robes fluttering about her.

"Go home, Bella," Narcissa said coldly, not caring to glance at her again.

The echoes of her footsteps quietened, as did the sound of her destructive spells on her way out, and Narcissa hurried over to her husband and son, at last.

"My darlings," she murmured, kneeling next to Lucius' tired figure and Draco, who was still shaking. Without saying anything, she wrapped her arms around him and stroked his soft hair until the shakes ceased.

"I think I'll go to bed now," he said meekly, looking to his father who was lying on the floor, and his mother, who watched him with sad eyes.

"Draco, I'm so sorry, for everything," she whispered, hot tears spilling down her cheeks as she thought of all the pain she had caused him. His youth had been stolen from him, his dignity, his home, his family… everything that had once mattered to the Black sisters now dissolved into nothing, meaningless nothing.

He paused by the door. "I know."

She waited until she heard the heavy door to his apartments close to speak once more. "Lucius," she whispered, stroking his hair away from his face. "Lucius, thank you. You saved him."

His eyes fluttered open. "He's our son. There's nothing I wouldn't do for him now. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you." His voice was quiet and weak but his gaze was strong and the hand that grasped hers was firm and secure. She closed her eyes at his touch, and leant down to press her lips against his for the first time in what seemed like a millennia and they finally found a moment of peace in the darkest time of the age.

Miles away, in the place Bellatrix had always called home, a gentleman visited her house. He beat her, tortured her and exhibited his power over her once more, his red eyes flashing as she renounced her loyalty from her family to him solely, at whatever cost.

**Thank you all for your wonderful support, I could not continue writing without it! I hope you all have a very **_**happy Christmas**_**, and I send out a metaphorical Molly Weasley-eque Christmas jumper to you all, and a fantastic new year! Your support for this fic over the past 6 months still blows me away. I could not have asked for more – those who voice in reviews or merely favourite and subscribe, it all means a lot!**

**Also, there will be only a few more chapters of this, so if you want a specific thing covered, mentioned or included, feel free to suggest!**

**A few of you mentioned doing the Unbreakable Vow, and I considered it, but seeing as JK covered it so magnificently, I felt me doing it would be somewhat of an anti-climax, but thank you for the suggestion :D**


	11. 1998  The Final Battle

**So this is a two-part chapter, and the second half with be posted sooooooon (well, sooner than this chapter was posted). Sorry for the two-month gap between updates :(**

The forest was very quiet. The sound of those who had gone to the edges of the forest in search of the boy was long gone, and all that was left was the noise of twigs breaking under Bellatrix's frantic pace. Cold eyes watched her from the loose circle that stood uneasily around her and the Dark Lord who remained still. Narcissa shifted slightly to her left, her hand searching for her husband's. Their fingers met, and they were still once more. Embers from the fire lit up the otherwise black hollow in which they all stood, the corpse of a gigantic spider casting sinister shadows over the masked faces of those who had not yet died in the battle. The battle for what? Narcissa didn't know anymore. All she knew was that her husband may be the only one left to live for; all she knew was that she hadn't seen Draco since the first attack. For all she knew, their son was dead.

There was a rustle of branches, and the two Death Eaters sent to search the north side of the forest re-joined the circle. At last, the Dark Lord looked up and Bellatrix was still.

One of the men, Dolohov, spoke. "No sign of him, my Lord."

"My Lord-" Bellatrix began, moving towards him with her hand slightly outstretched. Opposite Narcissa in the circle, Rodolphus recoiled slightly, his blood-streaked face looking uneasy. Even after all these years and all they had gone through, Bellatrix would never look at her husband beside her beloved Dark Lord. Rodolphus remained devoted to her.

The Dark Lord closed his eyes and raised a bone-white hand to silence her. When his eyelids lifted again, she was silent. "I thought he would come. I expected him to come." His voice was ice. His eyes were fire. "It seems I was mistaken."

There was a rustle of leaves and twigs as someone new approached. "You weren't."

There was a brief pause after Harry Potter spoke those two words on the other side of the clearing before the camp exploded. There were cries, jibes, shouts and a screeching cackle from Bellatrix as the Dark Lord's followers celebrated the break of the great Harry Potter. Narcissa looked at Lucius, whose eyes were wide and fearful.

"It's over," she said to him, a smile breaking over her face, the first smile in what felt like years. "We can find Draco in the castle once Potter dies, and we can leave. We are safe, at last!"

Lucius turned to her, anguish in her eyes. "Safe – but for how long?"

She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off almost immediately.

"NO! NO! HAARY, WHAT'RE YEH - ?" the oaf Hagrid roared.

"QUIET!" shouted a Death Eater, and silence fell on the group once more. The air was tense in the sudden silence. Narcissa watched every muscle movement in the Dark Lord's neck, face, hand, and saw his glacial lips move. "Harry Potter," he said very quietly. "The boy who lived."

Nobody moved, nobody said anything at all. The Dark Lord's snake slithered back and forth mid-air in her luminous cage, surveying the scene carefully. Slowly, the Dark Lord raised his wand. The boy did nothing.

"AVADA KERDAVRA!" came the terrifyingly familiar scream of Lord Voldemort suddenly and the world flashed green. Where the great Harry Potter had been standing, there was nothing but a crumpled body, lit only by the dying flames of the fire. Everything was now as it should be – the boy dead, the Dark Lord victorious.

But something was wrong, something was very wrong. No cries of victory pierced the air, no sparks sent into the night sky; only Bellatrix's fraught voice sounded as she knelt beside the second fallen man. Narcissa stepped forwards slightly, held back only by the grip Lucius had on her hand. The Dark Lord had been blown back by his own spell once again, because of Harry Potter, once again. Narcissa's insides turned to ice as she thought of the possibility that he had disappeared, as he did on that Hallowe'en night seventeen years ago. Despite all he had cost them, the Malfoys needed the Dark Lord for the safety he provided; without his protection they would lose it all. Not that they now had much left to lose.

"That will do."

The familiar high-pitched voice of the Dark Lord rang out, and the bone-white man with the blood-red eyes stumbled to his feet, pushing the hopeful Lestrange aside. He was not gone, after all, merely… knocked back.

"My Lord," she said hopefully, "let me-"

"I do not require assistance," he replied icily, his wand twitching in her direction. She fell back into line, glancing quickly at her sister who stood behind her. Narcissa looked back, agonised.

"The boy – is he dead?" he asked, sounding wary. He looked about him and saw Bellatrix and Narcissa's exchange. He pointed his wand at Bellatrix's and there was a bang. "You. Tell me whether he is dead."

Narcissa cried out in pain slightly but swiftly obeyed. She walked to what she hoped would be a corpse, praying with every step that this would all be over and that she and her broken family could be left in a shattered peace. As she passed the Dark Lord she felt a chill go over her, and realised that even if the boy was dead, it would not be over. It would never be over.

All eyes were on her as she knelt down next to the body. It was the only body from which she had felt warmth in a long time. Her breath quickened with her heartbeat as she slid a cold hand under Harry Potter's shirt, letting it rest over his ruthlessly pounding heart.

He lived. Harry Potter lived and there was no end for him, or for her. She knew that unless the boy was dead, the Dark Lord's followers would not be allowed to go to the castle and she would not be able to search for her son, dead or alive. With the boy alive, there was nothing Narcissa could do for her own son. And if her son had been killed, what had she left at all?

She bent her head low over his face and felt the slight tickle of his shallow breath on her cheek. "Is Draco alive? Is he in the castle?" she whispered, scarcely loud enough for him to hear.

"Yes," he breathed back.

She had no time to think.

"He is dead!" she called, sitting up straight and forcing a smile on her face. Across the clearing she saw Lucius' terrified face melt into relief at the temporary safety they now had. She stood up and walked briskly to her husband's side amid the celebrations of the Dark Lord's followers.

She dared not to tell Lucius the truth as the victorious party marched out of the Forest, setting trees alight and sparks flying to the stars, convinced that the end was finally upon them all. Son the trees began to thin and the Malfoys saw the broken castle at last. They had heard the thunder of the battle from their safe hollow in the Forest and imagined what the fights had done to the building, but nothing could have prepared them for the horror that now stood before them. Against the slowly brightening sky stood Hogwarts, now nothing but a majestic ruin for all to see. Towers were burning in the hour of peace, windows smashed and walls obliterated. Statues and gargoyles littered the grounds along with rubble from the building that had been such a stronghold mere hours ago. Grass was splattered with blood and dew, trees uprooted and the edge of the Black Lake rippled around the shattered hourglass that contained the emeralds of Slytherin's house points, the silver serpent bent and warped out of shape.

The Dark Lord paced in front of them and shouted words to the survivors of the other side who lingered inside the remaining walls of the castle. The noise was deafening, but she took no notice to the man who was now nothing but a barrier between herself and her son. It had been a long time coming, but now was the end. Her blind allegiance, her dutiful bidding and endless sacrifice for Tom Riddle was over, and when the moment came, she ran. In the commotion of Potter's disappearance, Narcissa knew she could be Riddle's first target once Potter was captured, but she didn't care now. All she cared about as she ran through the spells and explosions around her was her son.

"DRACO!" she screamed, looking about in anguish, wandless and without of hope of finding him in the fray. "Draco, where are you?"

Lucius ran up behind her and grabbed her wrist. "What are you doing?" he shouted over the roar of the crowd, looking confused and frightened.

"Potter is alive," she cried, hysteria building within her, "and I don't know if Draco still is, and all I want to do is find him and leave."

Lucius dragged her up the lawn ahead of the crowd that was steadily growing and moving towards the great oak doors that, despite being once so powerful, were now hanging off their hinges, and blasted people out of their way with his crudely made wand.

"Draco!" they cried, looking all around them as they ran past duels and ducked from explosions, up the marble staircase and paused on the landing, sheltering behind a pillar for a moment.

"Where will he be?" Narcissa panted frantically, running a hand through her dirty hair as Lucius glanced about him, terrified. "How will we find him in this place?"

On their blind run through the castle, Narcissa was struck by memories she hardly knew she possessed. As they passed what was once Slughorn's office, a fifteen year old Lucius flashed before her eyes and she felt his lips on hers for the first time. The burning Quidditch pitch she glimpsed out of a cracked window showed her Lucius' flowing silver and emerald robes dart past her in the stands at the height of the House Cup and her overwhelming pride as he grasped the Snitch. As they stumbled past a painting of a ballet dancing troll she felt the warmth she had felt the first time Lucius made love to her in the most wonderful room somewhere nearby, in a place she could almost remember…

This was the castle she loved with the man she loved, together for the first time in years and it was being destroyed in front of her eyes. Her world was literally shattering around her. But the one thing that stayed constant, even in the days to end all days, was her family. And this was the one thing that kept her running when she wanted to collapse.

**Again, thank you for your continuing support of this fic of mine, your interest in this constantly flatters me and keeps me wanting to write more! I know this part was lacking in Lucius/Narcissa-ness, but there will be more next chapter – the LAST chapter of this fic! Watch this space for the final instalment…**


	12. The Final Battle and Beyond

**So there's been a three-month gap between updates, and for that, I cannot even begin to apologise. For those of you still reading, here is the final instalment of my version of Lucius and Narcissa's tale.**

They stumbled down a tight spiral staircase and leaped over a body that was splayed at an odd angle near a narrow window, their breath catching in their throats as they ran on. Draco had to be in the castle somewhere, he _had_ to be.

The broken castle was now empty aside from the shouts and screams of two, maybe three, duels left that echoed up the stairs to Narcissa and Lucius. Her stomach dropped as she heard the cackling taunts of her sister, and powered on downwards. Within seconds, they burst into the empty Entrance Hall once more and saw a flash of blonde dart into a side room.

"Draco!" Lucius cried, his voice hoarse. They sprinted across the room, tears pouring down their cheeks as the blood on the cold flagstones threatened to make them slip. The crackle of a great duel sounded as Lucius wrenched open the door through which they saw Draco go. Behind it was nothing more than a broom cupboard. Trembling in the corner, behind a few old broomsticks and a pair of tail clippers was Draco, covered in soot and shaking uncontrollably.

"Son," Lucius croaked, falling forwards onto his knees as relief washed over him. He stretched his arms towards Draco, and father and son were united once again.

Narcissa, however, was frozen where she stood, her eyes fixed on the Great Hall just visible from where she was. Bellatrix's voice echoed off the walls in the Hall and pierced the silence of the rest of the castle, her shrill voice cutting through Narcissa like a blade.

"What will happen to your children once I've killed you?" her voice cackled amid crashes and bangs as the duelling continued fiercely. "Once Mummy's gone the same way as Freddie?"

As the duellers circled, Bella's opponent came into view and Narcissa saw Molly Weasley's face contorted with rage, an unfamiliar look upon a person that was renowned for being especially kind. Narcissa knew then that her sister was a dead woman. As the final blow hit Bellatrix Lestrange, as the lights went from her eyes, Narcissa's own scream of horror was drowned out by the Dark Lord's screech of rage. She fell to her knees as her sister's body dropped to the stone floor, completely void of life. But why did the battle rage on? Did they not know that she was dead? The world had been torn apart, but yet they fought on. Perhaps the Dark Lord didn't realise what had happened, perhaps he did. Perhaps that was why they were talking. The Dark Lord and Harry Potter were talking. The fighting had stopped. The crowds drew closer, the wands held still. There was nothing left but Potter's voice, bouncing off the walls and finding the Malfoys, disgraced, in a dirty corner of a broom cupboard.

His words were striking fear into the Dark Lord, Narcissa could see that, but she didn't care. Her sister was dead. And being her sister, she was one half of Narcissa herself. A part of her had been slaughtered.

"Father, I don't want to fight anymore," Draco was crying in the corner, looking at his father with tears pouring down his face, his eyes screwed up in an attempt to fight them. "I can't fight anymore!" His words came out in splutters and sobs, his whole body shuddering.

"You don't have to, son, you don't have to," Lucius promised him, taking one of his hands into his own and clasping it tight. All fear was now gone from Lucius' face, replaced with an expression of determination, although he was as white as a sheet. He had found his son, and his wife was by his side – there was nothing to fear now, the worst had never come.

Meanwhile, in the Great Hall, the Dark Lord was learning of his fate. He was learning how Dumbledore had been the owner of the Elder Wand, but that ownership had passed not onto Snape, but onto Draco, leaving Draco the master of it for nearly an entire year. Narcissa heard the words that Potter spoke aloud to his enemy from birth, to the Hall, and to the entire world, but she didn't listen. At that moment, she didn't listen as it was explained that Potter was now the commander of the Elder Wand to which the Dark Lord had become so attached. Bellatrix was gone, and yet they hadn't stopped. Why hadn't they stopped? There was one final cry from the duellers, and then a split second of silence, a moment's pause when the body of Lord Voldemort fell to the ground, the shell of the man he had once hoped to be, fallen at last. Then there were shouts, cries, shrieks of victory as every single witch, wizard and magical creature began celebrating raucously the end of his reign of terror.

Inside the broom cupboard, Draco and Lucius were huddled together, listening intently to what was happening in the Great Hall, not daring to move, fearing the sight that would greet them the other side of the door. Bellatrix's body would be crumpled in a heap, and now the Dark Lord's beside her. The Order of the Phoenix, the organisation that was so close to bringing them down from the start stood victorious, Dumbledore's Army and all those who battled alongside them would be celebrating now. They were rejoicing at the Dark Lord's fall, Harry Potter's victory, and mourning the loss of those who fell in battle, but preparing to make way for a new beginning.

It was the start of a revolutionised world, a world in which, Lucius feared, the Malfoys had no place.

As those in the Hall began filtering out, wandering into the grounds or starting the clean-up of the castle, Narcissa found herself walking into it. Lucius and Draco followed her a few paces behind, and they settled on a bench, looking around warily, not knowing if they would be welcomed, or lynched on the spot. Bellatrix's body had been removed before Narcissa had even realised, and was left in a side-room before she could even object. Of course, now the Malfoy family were in little position to object.

In the days that followed, Narcissa and Lucius slowly found out more details of the battle; they were shocked to learn of Severus' true allegiance, although that explained to them why he had taken that night at Godric's Hollow so badly; they learned from Draco that he almost captured Potter, but could not follow through with it; and Narcissa discovered her younger sister's daughter, lying peacefully next to her husband, looking almost as if she were sleeping, with the tips of her hair a bright pink. Her heart-shaped face resembled her mother's. Narcissa took it upon herself that day to write to her estranged sister. After the death of Bellatrix, the fall of the Dark Lord and the deaths of Andromeda's husband, daughter and son-in-law, she had little left, and Cissy at last found it in her to apologise to the sister she had dearly missed all along.

In the months that followed, Harry Potter personally vouched for the entire Malfoy family at their trials, swearing to the Wizengamot that they had defected against Voldemort prior to the end of the Battle of Hogwarts. The court listened as Mr Potter spoke of how Narcissa had risked her life for him, for his cause, and thus, without her, would have never survived. Of course, he knew that she had not done it for him, but for her son and husband, but deep in his heart, he forgave the trio, and wanted the rest of the world to, too. They were granted full pardons, but Lucius was stripped of his position at the Ministry, and, with his consent, was tracked lightly for the rest of his life, to ensure that any more illegal activity was caught by the Ministry right away. In those months, Draco and his mother spent much time at Hogwarts, helping to clear and repair the grand castle, although they kept to themselves for much of the time. There were times, however, when Draco would spend a few hours with a girl that had been in his house, the younger sister of one of his classmates. Late into the summer, Cissy had seen him from a third floor window where he stood in the grounds with her, and placed a sweet kiss on the girl's check, and she smiled, remembering the glorious days she had spent with Lucius on the sprawling lawns. Lucius couldn't bear to be near the castle anymore. Whenever he even thought of Hogwarts, he saw the flashes of spells and flying bodies, not knowing whether he was stepping over a groaning witch or wizard, or a corpse. He remembered his part in the battle, in the entire war, and couldn't bring himself to relive the guilt.

In the following years, Lucius and Narcissa lived quietly in the country for the rest of their lives, enjoying one another's company, and eventually letting go of the guilt they kept for so long. They lived very happily, not needing Lucius to work at the Ministry anyway, as part of the Black fortune was left to Cissy, and the entire Malfoy fortune was Lucius' anyway. Andromeda occasionally visited the manor, although she never brought her grandson, leaving the little boy with his godparents whenever she wanted to see her sister. Cissy didn't mind, knowing Annie was reluctant to bring him into a family that had such deep roots in blood prejudice. They were quickly reacquainted – they had always got along so well as young girls – and enjoyed one another once more. They occasionally spoke about Bellatrix, but the memory was too painful for Annie. The idea that her once beloved sister murdered her only child caused her pain so great that she felt physically sick. Draco married the girl that Cissy had seen him with, and together they had one child, Scorpius. Cissy and Lucius delighted in spoiling him, having the relationship with the sweet boy that Draco never had with his own grandparents. His mother was half-blood, and so he had the tolerance from a young age that his grandparents were not used to, but Draco supposed that it would be good for them, as it was for him. The young lad had a charm about him that the Malfoys did not, but he was his father's son nonetheless – Draco brought him to the manor one Sunday afternoon looking triumphant, and announced that Scorpius had caught his first Snitch. Cissy and Lucius had, of course, fawned over the little boy, and had even treated him by having a broomstick race between him, his father and his grandfather. All three were highly competitive, and had no inclination to let the other win – but in the end, the head of the family, slippery Lucius, won. As the other two had walked, shoulders hunched, back to the house, Lucius had strutted ahead of them and placed a celebratory kiss on his wife's lips, much to the disgust of Draco and Scorpius. She had laughed as carelessly as she had as a teenage girl in love, and looked up at him, seeing him not as the broken man he had been days after the fall of the Dark Lord, not as the weary father and grandfather he sometimes became, but as the young, handsome man who had captured her heart that first day that he had offered to show her the way back to the Slytherin common room.

They remained very much in love, did Lucius and Cissy, until the time came for them to move on. Cissy passed quietly in her sleep at the grand age of 85, and, upon finding her body cold one morning, Lucius held her in his arms, and fell back to sleep with her, at peace with the world at last. Together, they moved on, and left a dynasty that remembered them as a witch and wizard who played their part in the downfall of the Dark Lord, and a family who would always remember their love for one another and their son, that shifted the course of history.


	13. Author's Final Note

And so, after months of writing, 12 chapters and over 33,000 words, the story is complete.

I hope that I have brought to you, reader, an enjoyable piece of fanfiction that had stayed true to the original characters, whilst exploring their stories perhaps in a different way that you imagined.

And speaking of you, reader, I would like to thank you personally for taking the time to read this little bit of work of mine. To those of you who have reviewed each chapter, or any chapter, to those of you who have favourited or subscribed to this fic, or me as an author, thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, because you surely do not know how grateful I am to you. I appreciate that my updates have been far apart and inconsistent, so thank you for sticking it out until the final chapter. The reviews left for me pushed me forwards with my writing, and some of them were so kind and helpful, I have no shame in admitting some of them brought tears to my eyes. Thank you, for staying with my Lucius and Narcissa, much as you did our Harry, until the very end.

My thanks, although he will never know of my gratitude, also goes out to Jason Isaacs, who, aside from being ridiculously attractive, brought one of my favourite characters to life.

The same goes out to Helen McCrory, one of the most underappreciated members of the entire Potter cast, who played Narcissa so beautifully, so movingly, that I could not help but be enchanted by her. It is partly down to her that my fascination with the pair first began. Again, she will never know how thankful I am to her, but let it be said now, that I am truly grateful that she was cast.

And finally, to Joanna Rowling herself I place my undying gratitude and love. She is the lady who brought me happiness when the world was at its most bleak, who brought me friends to grow up with that stayed consistent in my ever-changing world, who taught me lessons I never knew I needed. She brought me Quidditch with Oliver, pranks with Fred and George, loyalty with Ron, homework with Hermione, greatness with Albus and a pillar of strength with Harry. The memories I have of reading the books for the first time, attending launch parties dressed as Luna, winning a Harry Potter wand and curling up in the cinema as I saw Voldemort for the first time are scattered throughout my childhood, and without them, my time as a kid would be much less colourful. Harry Potter has been there as I saw the first milestones in my life, and with the credits rolling up on the screen the first time I saw the Deathly Hallows Part II, I knew my childhood was over.  
>And I owe much of my childhood happiness to Joanne Rowling. She will never know what gifts she has given me, and so, with more effort that I thought it would require, I dedicate this fanfiction to her, in the knowledge that she will never know of it. But you, reader, know it. Don't let the magic die.<p>

This will be farewell from me for a while, I don't know when I'll next be writing, but watch this space, I'll be back before the summer is out. Magic always leaves traces.

_Nox._


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